Nope, I think you HAVE to have it as BROWN to avoid probation period as black.

That could be a new thing. When I went through the process of my black belt certification through the IBJJF, i was told what matters is the inception date of the membership. But, I could be wrong. Things could have changed since then. I emailed the IBJJF regarding that situation.

I just got confirmation from the IBJJF. You're correct. It's a new thing. It goes back even further. If you don't have an active membership as a purple, you will also be on a probation period for a year at brown. It's all such horse shit!