Frequently Asked Questions

AS numbers, or ASNs, are unique identifiers assigned to networks on the Internet. They enable routing between different networks and are essential for running your own network infrastructure.

An ASN costs €130 per year, billed annually in advance:

• Our service fee: €80 per year
• RIPE NCC fee: €50 per year (mandatory since January 2025)
• Total: €130 per year

The €50 RIPE NCC fee is RIPE NCC's own per-ASN charge under its current charging scheme, passed through at cost. Optional at order: express review for €60 one-time. Prepaying two years at order costs €234 for an ASN alone: year 2 at 20 percent off, taken from our service fee, with the RIPE NCC fee at cost. Prices exclude VAT. No VAT applies to customers outside the EU, or to EU companies outside France with a valid VAT number (reverse charge).

Your ASN is typically live in 1 to 2 business days once your file is complete, RIPE NCC processing included.

The RIPE NCC publishes no official turnaround, so a request that needs more documents or a clarification takes longer.

Note: RIPE NCC staff work Monday to Friday, not on Dutch public holidays. Our support is available Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 CET for any questions.

16-bit AS numbers range from 1 to 65,534, while 32-bit AS numbers range from 131,072 to 4,294,967,294. Both function identically in modern networks.

Since 1 January 2010 RIPE NCC assigns AS numbers from one pool with no distinction between 16-bit and 32-bit numbers, so a 16-bit number cannot be requested.

No, we do not offer 16-bit ASNs. Since 1 January 2010 RIPE NCC assigns AS numbers from one pool with no distinction between 16-bit and 32-bit numbers, so a 16-bit number cannot be requested.

In practice this changes nothing for your network: 16-bit and 32-bit ASNs work identically in modern BGP (RFC 6793).

No, RIPE NCC assigns the number. You cannot select a specific number. It doesn't affect functionality: all ASNs work identically for routing purposes.

No, having at least one IP block to advertise is a mandatory RIPE requirement for ASN registration. If you have none, order a /48 IPv6 block in the same ASN order: leased from our allocation (PA, €40 per year) or applied for as your own PI.

To register an ASN you need:

• A network operated within the RIPE NCC service region (your organization itself can be located anywhere)
• At least one IP block to advertise (an IPv6 block can be leased from us during registration)
• Two BGP peers

A peer is any network you exchange routes with: upstream transit providers, hosting providers with BGP support and Internet Exchange route-servers all count, so most customers already qualify through providers they pay. If you lack in-region infrastructure or a second peer, a Virtua.Cloud VM in a European location provides both.

Active network equipment refers to devices that actively participate in routing and managing network traffic. This includes:

• Physical routers (Cisco, Juniper, MikroTik, etc.)
• Layer 3 switches capable of routing
• Servers running routing software (Bird, Quagga, FRRouting, VyOS, etc.)
• Virtual routers and cloud-based network infrastructure

The equipment operates within the RIPE NCC service region. As proof we ask for contracts or invoices from your network providers.

Multihoming means your AS exchanges routes with at least two other networks. Those peers do not have to be two paid transit contracts: a hosting provider with BGP support, an Internet Exchange route-server or an upstream ISP each count as one peer.

The RIPE NCC's ASN policy (ripe-679) requires a multihomed network, which is why our form asks for two peers.

Required documentation depends on your entity type:

• Organizations:
  • Commercial Trade Register extract or equivalent document proving your business registration, dated this calendar year or within the last 3 months (12 months in some countries outside Europe)
  • Examples: extrait Kbis (France), Handelsregisterauszug (Germany), Companies House company details print (UK), uittreksel Handelsregister from the KvK (Netherlands), certificate of good standing from the Secretary of State (USA). For most other countries the form gives the local name.
  • Valid government-issued ID of the authorized representative, verified online
• Individuals: Valid government-issued ID, verified online
• Both: Contracts or invoices from your network providers (datacenter, IP transit, or VPS with BGP) that together show your two BGP peers

We accept documents in their original language. If RIPE NCC asks for a translation or a notarized copy, we tell you. The RIPE Database accepts Latin letters only. We transliterate a name in another script, for example Chinese to pinyin. If your registration document also shows an official English name, use that name.

On request only. Our own IPv4 pool is empty, so we take requests on the IPv4 leasing page, check the network and quote each one, from €0.50 per IP per month. Leases start at a /24, run for at least one year and are billed annually. An ASN of your own is required: we route the block from your ASN.

We do not sell IPv4. If you already hold an IPv4 PI block, or you are receiving one by transfer, we act as its sponsoring LIR: see how a sponsorship change works.

IPv6 blocks (from /48) are available directly and are included as an option during ASN registration.

Yes. A sponsorship change stays inside RIPE NCC: your AS number, RIPE objects and maintainer do not change, only the sponsoring LIR does. Under ripe-815 your current LIR does not have to agree: we file the new agreement plus a confirmation you sign about the previous contract.

Price: €130 per year all-in (€80 service fee plus the €50 RIPE NCC fee at cost), no setup fee. We file the same working day once your documents are complete, subject to our onboarding checks and to RIPE NCC approving the End User. Start on the sponsorship change page.

No, ASN sponsorship does not make you a RIPE NCC member or LIR (Local Internet Registry). We are the RIPE member and LIR who sponsors your resources. You receive full operational control of your ASN and can manage routing, but you are not a direct RIPE member.

If you need to become a RIPE LIR yourself in the future, we can assist with that process as well.

No. The RIPE NCC member portal (the LIR Portal) is reserved for RIPE members. Under sponsorship we are the member of record, so there is no ripe.net login to hand over.

You still keep full control of your ASN. Day-to-day changes are made in your Via-Registry dashboard: AS details (as-name, descr, remarks), abuse contact and contact e-mail, the BGP routing policy, ASPA publication and as-set creation. We push every change to the RIPE database for you.

Prefer to work in the RIPE database directly? Once your ASN is assigned, switch to self-management from the ASN settings page in your dashboard by entering your own mntner handle. We add your maintainer to the AS number, ORG and contact objects and you edit them yourself with a free RIPE NCC Access account. Only a few fields on the ORG object, such as the legal name, remain editable by RIPE NCC alone.

We accept the following payment methods through our secure checkout:

• • VISA / Mastercard
• • American Express
• • PayPal
• • Apple Pay
• • Google Pay
• • iDEAL
• • Bancontact
• • Klarna
• • Revolut Pay
• • BLIK
• • SEPA Direct Debit
• • Bitcoin
• • USDT on TRON (TRC20)

These are the documents and records that show which ASN may announce which prefix:

• LOA (Letter of Authorization): A document that shows you may announce IP addresses from a specific ASN. Many transit providers ask for one.
• Route Objects: Database entries in the RIPE registry that specify which ASN is authorized to announce which IP prefixes.
• RPKI Records (ROAs): Cryptographically signed records that name the ASN allowed to originate a prefix. Networks that validate routes reject the prefix when another ASN announces it.

We generate the LOA automatically for leased and PI IPv6 blocks; IPv4 has no LOA. For an IPv6 block leased from us, we also create the route6 object and the RPKI ROA. PI holders sign their ROAs in their own RIPE NCC hosted CA.

Yes. Your ASN is completely portable: use it with any hosting provider, data center or ISP that supports BGP. For an IPv6 block you lease or hold as PI through us, the LOA is generated automatically and you download it from your dashboard. You are never locked in.

If you host with our partner Virtua.Cloud, BGP sessions come with every VM, and the invoice of a VM in a European location is accepted directly as supporting documentation for your registration.

You can cancel your ASN sponsorship at any time. Here's what happens:

• Give one month's written notice (Terms of Service, section 7.1)
• You can move the ASN to another sponsoring LIR before cancellation
• If not moved, RIPE NCC deregisters the ASN after cancellation
• No refunds for partial year usage (annual billing only)

Important: Once RIPE NCC has deregistered an ASN, do not count on getting the same number back; you would apply for a new one. If you might need it again in the future, consider moving it to another sponsoring LIR instead of cancelling.

The RIPE NCC service region covers Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia. This includes:

• All European countries (EU and non-EU)
• Middle East (including Turkey, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.)
• Former Soviet republics in Central Asia
• Russia and surrounding regions

You or your company can be based anywhere: you qualify as soon as part of your network runs in the region, such as a server, router or BGP announcement hosted there. No infrastructure in the region yet? A single cloud instance with a BGP session in a European datacenter is enough.

Both individuals and businesses can register ASNs. We serve:

• Registered businesses and corporations
• Individual entrepreneurs and freelancers
• Hobbyists and network enthusiasts
• Educational and research purposes

The main difference is the documentation required: everyone verifies their identity online with a government-issued ID, and businesses also upload a company registration document. All other requirements (multihoming, active equipment, etc.) remain the same. The same applies to a leased IPv4 or IPv6 block: individuals and companies pass the same checks. Register the ASN and the lease under the same name.

We offer IPv6 blocks in five sizes:

• /48 (65,536 subnets): the most common choice for small businesses, labs and single-site deployments
• /44 (1 million subnets): multi-site businesses
• /40 (256 /48s): hosting and service providers
• /36 (4,096 /48s): providers with many sites or customers
• /32: large ISPs and hosting providers

Prices per year: /48 €40, /44 €80, /40 €160, /36 €400, /32 €1,200. You can start small and add a larger block later.

Pay the renewal cart from your dashboard before the expiry date:

• Reminders: sent by email before expiry, each with a link to your renewal cart
• Payment: by card, SEPA, iDEAL, PayPal, Bitcoin or USDT
• Automatic renewal: optional, turned on from your dashboard; it charges your default payment method before expiry

Once payment is received, your ASN is renewed for another year. No paperwork or re-verification is required.

We handle complex RIPE database operations for you through your dashboard:

• Edit your AS details (as-name, descr, remarks) without learning RPSL syntax
• Update the abuse contact and the contact e-mail
• Configure import/export policies
• Publish the ASPA of your ASN
• Create the as-set your provider asks for
• Download the LOA of a leased IPv6 block; we create its route6 object and RPKI ROA

Instead of dealing with RIPE's technical syntax and authentication methods, you use our simple web interface. We translate your requests into proper RIPE database updates automatically.

Yes. Each ASN is a separate registration:

• Each ASN requires its own justification and must meet RIPE requirements independently
• Each ASN is billed at the standard price; there are no volume discounts

All your ASNs are managed from a single dashboard, and renewals falling due together are grouped in one renewal cart.

You can announce a leased block through any provider: the lease stays with us, but you are not restricted to Via-Registry's infrastructure. For a leased IPv6 block we provide:

• A Letter of Authorization (LOA), generated automatically and downloadable from your dashboard
• The RPKI ROA, with your ASN as origin
• The route6 object in the RIPE database

An ASN is required to announce the block. A leased block is PA space from our allocation: it is not portable and returns to the pool when the lease ends. A leased IPv4 block is also routed from your own ASN: we sign its ROA, and IPv4 has no LOA. Every leased block is registered in the RIPE Database as an assignment to you: the inetnum or inet6num carries your organisation, or your name as an individual, and your own abuse contact. The parent allocation stays with the LIR.

Yes. Every ASN we sponsor runs in one of two modes:

• Managed (default): the objects stay under our maintainer and you manage them from your Via-Registry dashboard: AS details, abuse contact, contact e-mail, the BGP routing policy, the ASPA and the as-set. We push each change to the RIPE database for you.
• Self-managed: once your ASN is assigned, open the ASN settings page in your dashboard and enter your own mntner (MNT) handle. We add your maintainer to the AS number, ORG and contact objects and you edit them directly in the RIPE database.

Switching to self-managed is free and self-serve; switching back to managed goes through our support team. In both modes the legal-entity fields of the ORG object (such as the organisation name) remain locked by RIPE NCC once the ASN is assigned.

Fees are non-refundable. The work behind our services starts as soon as your order arrives: reviewing your documents, preparing the application and handling the exchanges with RIPE NCC. That time cannot be recovered once it has been spent, which is why fees cannot be returned.

This applies to:

• Registration and renewal fees
• Unused time on a service period
• Applications rejected by RIPE NCC, as the preparation and submission work has already been done
• Terminations for policy violations
• Voluntary cancellations

RIPE NCC, the regional Internet registry for Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, charges €50 per year for every ASN assigned through a sponsoring LIR. That charge is set by the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (RIPE-848) and is billed to us, as your sponsoring LIR.

We pass it through at cost: the €50 on your invoice is exactly what RIPE NCC charges us for your ASN. RIPE NCC members review the charging scheme every year, so the amount follows the scheme in force.

RIPE NCC only works with its member LIRs, so every sponsored ASN needs an LIR doing real work behind it. Your service fee pays for that work:

• Reviewing your documents and preparing your RIPE NCC request
• Handling the exchanges with RIPE NCC until your ASN is assigned
• Maintaining your objects in the RIPE database (aut-num, route(6), ROAs, abuse contacts)
• Carrying the LIR account itself: RIPE NCC charges us €1,000 to open it and €1,800 per year to keep it in 2026, €1,894 with one ASN included from 2027 (ripe-867)
• LOAs, sponsorship changes and support throughout the life of your ASN

An ASN looks like just a number, but both the registry and the sponsorship behind it carry yearly costs.

Yes. You verify your identity online with a valid government-issued ID. For an organization, the authorized representative completes the check. After payment, if your account is not verified yet, your registration opens a secure verification page powered by Stripe Identity: you photograph your ID and take a short selfie, directly from your phone or computer.

There is no video call and nothing to install. The check usually completes within a few minutes.

If you register as an individual, RIPE NCC also runs its own identity check after we file: you receive a link, and it takes about 20 minutes with a phone or webcam.

Unlike domain names, ASNs have no WHOIS privacy or proxy service. RIPE NCC requires the public database to show the real legal address of the resource holder, and the address you declare is verified against your documents during registration. We cannot substitute our company address or a forwarding address, so this option is not available at any price.

• Individual registration: Your name and address appear publicly in the ORG object, as required by RIPE NCC.
• Company registration: The company name and its registered office address are shown. Role-based objects are used by default in this case.
• E-mail addresses: The contact and abuse e-mail addresses you provide are public.
• Phone number: Your phone number is never published in the RIPE WHOIS. It is collected only for internal verification purposes with RIPE NCC if needed.

If privacy is a priority, we recommend registering the ASN under a company name.

Yes. Your organization can be legally established anywhere in the world: what RIPE NCC requires is that the network using the ASN is operated within their service region (Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia), and your supporting documentation must show that.

The simplest way to get an in-region network is a VM in a European location at a provider like Virtua.Cloud; any in-region hosting or transit provider works too.

Usually yes. The two required peers do not have to be two transit contracts: your hosting provider (with BGP support) counts, and so does an Internet Exchange route-server.

If you truly have a single network connection, deploying one VM in a European location at Virtua.Cloud adds the missing peers in one step.

Yes. RIPE NCC wants to see a real project: a network with active equipment, IP space to announce and two BGP peers. As proof we ask for contracts or invoices from your network providers.

If you have nothing running yet, a single VM in a European location at Virtua.Cloud provides the equipment and peers, and its invoice is accepted directly. Once your documentation is ready, complete your registration normally.

It depends where you are in the process:

• Before the agreement is signed: simply update your account details; the agreement is generated from them, so nothing else is needed.
• After the agreement is signed: contact support@via-registry.com; the agreement has to be re-issued and re-signed, which per our Terms of Service carries a €25 re-signing fee.
• After the registration is completed: use Change Legal Entity in your ASN's menu on the dashboard. This starts a procedure verified by RIPE NCC (both holders sign a transfer deed) and is billed at the administration fee.

If you already know which entity should hold the ASN, start the registration under that entity.

30 days. The countdown starts when your payment is confirmed, and a warning email goes out after 25 days if the registration is still incomplete.

Registrations not completed within 30 days are closed automatically and, per our Terms of Service, fees are not refunded, though you can start a new registration afterwards.

No. We create the RIPE objects your registration needs during the process: the organisation (ORG) object and the admin, tech and abuse contacts. The RIPE NCC creates the AS number object when it assigns your ASN. Nothing has to exist in the RIPE database beforehand.

Already have RIPE objects from a previous provider (an ORG, person or maintainer)? They stay untouched: your sponsorship gets its own fresh set of objects. And if you prefer to run things yourself, you can add your own maintainer to the new objects once the ASN is assigned.

No. The AS name (for example MY-NETWORK) is a technical label in the RIPE database with no legal meaning. The legal holder of your ASN is recorded separately, in the organisation (ORG) object.

Individuals and companies alike can pick any label that follows the RIPE format rules: a brand, a project or a network name. It does not have to contain your personal or company name.

Contact and abuse details: yes, at any time, from your dashboard (or directly in the RIPE database if your ASN is self-managed).

The legal-entity fields of the organisation (ORG) object, such as the organisation name, are different. They identify the legal holder of the ASN, so RIPE NCC locks them once the ASN is assigned: neither you nor we can edit them directly.

Changing them therefore follows a formal procedure verified by RIPE NCC. To move the ASN to a different legal entity, use Change Legal Entity in your ASN's menu on the dashboard (billed at the administration fee). For a rename of the same entity, contact support@via-registry.com and we arrange the update with RIPE NCC.

Act today: RIPE NCC gives you a short window before deregistration. If RIPE NCC already wrote to you, reply within the four weeks saying you object and are signing with a new sponsoring LIR, and get that contract filed inside the same four weeks. Send us the number or the prefix from the sponsorship change page; we file the same working day once your documents are complete, subject to our onboarding checks and to RIPE NCC approving the End User.

RIPE NCC sets the windows in ripe-815: 10 working days from the day RIPE NCC is told the previous contract ended, then an email to your registered contacts with 10 more working days, then the deregistration email of ripe-858: four weeks in which a new sponsoring LIR contract must be in place, or the resource is deregistered. RIPE NCC may skip the three-month wind-down that can follow when the resource was not announced, so an unused ASN or prefix is on the short clock. Treat the first email as the deadline; the full table is on the sponsorship change page.

The account must belong to the entity or person recorded as holder in the RIPE Database; we check that before filing.

• Companies: a registration extract under 3 months old naming the person who signs, or a power of attorney.
• Individuals: a government ID, verified online.
• Our sponsorship agreement, signed online.
• The ripe-815 End User confirmation, signed online (whether your previous contract ended, and when).
• Payment from the holder itself: card, PayPal, bank transfer or USDT.

Nothing is needed from your previous LIR.

They stay yours: a sponsorship change only updates the sponsoring-org: attribute at RIPE NCC, never your aut-num or inet(6)num, organisation object, route objects or maintainer. If the previous LIR held your maintainer password, recovery is RIPE NCC's maintainer access recovery procedure, run by you; we spot the problem during our checks and point you to it. Details on the sponsorship change page.

Yes, for provider independent (PI) assignments registered at RIPE NCC in your name. We become the sponsoring LIR; the assignment stays yours, with your maintainer and your RPKI setup.

Recurring cost: €135 per year per assignment (€60 service fee plus the €75 RIPE NCC fee at cost). The setup fee for an existing assignment is quoted per case: send us the prefix from the sponsorship change page and we send a quote with a payment link, valid 14 days. Prices exclude VAT, which may apply based on your location. Fees are non-refundable.

Individuals: yes, when the resource is registered at RIPE NCC in your own name. You verify your identity online with a government ID and sign the agreement and the End User confirmation in your account.

Organisations outside the RIPE NCC service region: the resource stays a RIPE-region resource and needs a RIPE-region sponsoring LIR; RIPE NCC approves the End User. Send us the resource and where the network runs; we check the public RIPE data before quoting. We do not give legal advice on residency or on which registry applies.

RIPE NCC approves every End User itself and our fees are non-refundable. If RIPE NCC deregisters the resource while your file is open, the amount paid for that resource becomes credit on your Via-Registry account, usable on any of our services; any other refusal, such as a holder that does not match the account, converts nothing. Before filing, our automated review checks the file against RIPE NCC's requirements; a human looks at edge cases.

ASPA is a signed list of the networks allowed to carry your routes, stored in RPKI next to your ROAs. Networks that check ASPA treat your routes as invalid when they arrive through a network you did not list. That catches route leaks that ROAs cannot see. Publishing one is optional today; an accurate list is what matters.

If we manage your ASN, open your AS number in the dashboard and choose ASPA. Add your providers and, the first time, tick the box that lets us publish on your behalf. We sign the list in your RIPE certificate and validators usually see it within an hour. You can change the list at any time from the same page.

Every network you pay to carry your traffic to the rest of the internet, usually called your transit or upstream providers. Add an internet exchange route server only when the exchange says it adds its own AS number to the path. Networks that only exchange traffic with you (peering) are not providers. A missing provider makes your routes invalid at networks that check ASPA, so the page suggests the providers found in your routing policy and in public routing data, and flags one from your routing policy, or one already on your published ASPA, that you leave off the list.

An as-set is a named list of AS numbers in the RIPE Database; your internet provider reads it to build the filter that lets your routes through. Providers ask for one because their tools expect a list, even with a single AS number. If we manage your ASN, you create it from the AS-SET page of your AS number: the name starts with your AS number, as RIPE requires, and we write it in the RIPE Database for you. Give the name to your provider; you can remove the set from the same page.

No. We work by e-mail: write to support@via-registry.com or use the contact form. A person answers every message, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 CET.

For an instant answer at any time, ask the AI assistant on this site.