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How to Become a RIPE LIR: Application Process and Setup

Who can apply, what the RIPE NCC checks before it activates an LIR account, what membership costs in 2026 and 2027, and which resources to request first.

To become a RIPE LIR, you apply for RIPE NCC membership online, pass the due diligence check, return the Standard Service Agreement signed by hand and pay the first invoice. In 2026 that costs €1,000 to sign up plus €1,800 per LIR account per year under the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848); from 2027 the annual fee is €1,894 with the first ASN included (ripe-867, adopted at the May 2026 General Meeting). Any legal entity or natural person can apply.

Membership is the right route when you assign address space to customers or want allocations in your own name. For one ASN or one portable IPv6 block, the RIPE NCC's own membership page says you do not need to join: a sponsoring LIR registers independent resources for you.

What is a RIPE LIR?

A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an organization that receives allocations of Internet number resources (IP addresses and ASNs) from RIPE NCC and assigns these resources to end users or uses them for its own infrastructure.

The RIPE NCC (Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre) is the Regional Internet Registry for Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, over 75 countries (service region). In August 2026 it counted 19,977 members holding 20,687 LIR accounts (member update, August 2026).

As an LIR, your organization gets:

  • IPv6 allocations: a /32 up to /29 on request, larger with documentation (ripe-738)
  • One IPv4 /24: from the waiting list, once per LIR and never a second one (ripe-826)
  • ASN assignments: for multihomed networks, yours or your customers'
  • Assignment authority: you register assignments to customers in the RIPE Database
  • Address space registered to you: your allocation stays with your LIR whichever upstream you use
  • A vote at General Meetings: one per member, whatever the number of LIR accounts
  • Training: RIPE NCC Academy courses and three free certification exam vouchers per LIR account each year

For a detailed explanation of what LIRs are and how they fit into the Internet infrastructure, see our article: What is a Local Internet Registry?

Is Becoming an LIR Right for You?

Membership pays off when you assign address space to others or need allocations in your own name. Check that before you apply.

Organizations That Should Consider LIR Membership

Organization Why membership fits
Internet Service Provider Assigns addresses to subscribers and registers those assignments itself
Hosting or cloud provider Wants address space registered to its own LIR rather than to an upstream
Telecom operator Runs several ASNs and large allocations
Large enterprise Multi-provider network that wants its allocation in its own name
Managed service provider Sponsors ASNs and PI blocks for clients as a sponsoring LIR

When LIR Membership Makes Sense

Consider becoming an LIR if you:

  • Regularly need to assign IP addresses to customers or infrastructure
  • Provide Internet or hosting services requiring portable addresses
  • Want maximum control over your IP resources and routing policies
  • Can justify the costs through business value or revenue generation
  • Have technical capability to manage resources and maintain compliance
  • Plan for growth requiring increasing IP address resources
  • Need multiple ASNs for complex routing architectures
  • Want to offer sponsoring services for PI resources to clients

When Alternatives Might Be Better

If what you need is one ASN, you do not need membership. The RIPE NCC's membership page says so itself: an organization that needs an AS Number or IPv6 space can get independent resources through a sponsoring LIR. Our ASN registration service sponsors an ASN for €130 per year (as of September 2026), the €50 RIPE NCC fee included, and files it under ripe-679. For a portable IPv6 block in your own name, an IPv6 PI /48 through a sponsoring LIR is the other route. The RIPE NCC no longer assigns new IPv4 PI (ripe-826).

Sponsored independent resources fit better if you:

  • Are primarily an end user without downstream customers
  • Have stable, predictable IP resource needs
  • Want to minimize administrative complexity
  • Need to control costs more tightly
  • Don't plan to assign addresses to external parties
  • Prefer outsourcing RIR relationship management

For a detailed comparison to help you decide, see: LIR vs PI: Which is Right for You?

Requirements for Becoming a RIPE LIR

Who can apply

Any legal entity or natural person can become a RIPE NCC member (Become a Member). The RIPE NCC serves organizations that provide services in its region. Two groups cannot join: applicants under EU sanctions, and applicants whose membership was terminated for fraudulent or misleading information, for five years after the termination.

What the RIPE NCC checks (due diligence, ripe-863):

  • Organizations: proof of registration with the national authority (a recent register extract) and approval by an authorized representative; the RIPE NCC may ask for notarized copies
  • Individuals: an ID card or passport, or another official document where no national ID exists
  • Every signing party and authorized representative is screened against EU and Dutch sanctions lists before registration, and again on later changes

Technical Requirements

Membership itself needs no technical justification and no addressing plan. Resource requests do: an IPv6 allocation needs a plan to make sub-allocations or End Site assignments within two years (ripe-738 section 5.1.1), and an ASN needs a multihomed network (ripe-679).

Financial Requirements

2026 Costs (RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026):

  • Sign-up fee: €1,000 (one-time, per LIR account)
  • Annual membership fee: €1,800 per LIR (unchanged from 2025)
  • ASN assignment fee: €50 per ASN per year
  • Independent (PI) resource fee: €75 per assignment per year
  • From 2027: €1,894 per LIR account, first ASN included, €50 per additional ASN, €75 per independent assignment (ripe-867, adopted at the May 2026 General Meeting)

Source: RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848).

Payment terms (RIPE NCC Billing Procedure 2026):

  • Invoices are due within 30 days of the invoice date; after 60 days unpaid the RIPE NCC processes no new requests
  • A new member pays the annual fee pro rata per quarter, counted from the quarter in which the SSA is signed
  • Existing members are invoiced in full for every LIR account held on 1 January
  • A closure request must reach the RIPE NCC before 31 December, or the next year's fee is due in full

For a complete cost analysis and ROI evaluation, see: RIPE LIR Membership Costs and Benefits

Operational Requirements

1. Ongoing Obligations

  • Maintain accurate registration data in RIPE Database
  • Respond to RIPE NCC communications and audits
  • Follow all RIPE policies and procedures
  • Pay annual fees on time
  • Keep contact information current

Signing the SSA (ripe-812) makes you a candidate member; after six months you become a full member and gain the vote at General Meetings (Articles of Association, article 16.7). Leaving takes three months' written notice (SSA article 9.2).

2. Compliance Capacity

  • Ability to handle abuse reports promptly
  • Resources for database maintenance
  • Staff time for audit responses
  • Process for maintaining compliance

For detailed information on compliance obligations, see: Compliance Requirements for LIRs

The LIR Application Process

Step 1: Prepare Your Documents

Organizations need a recent extract from the national register and the identity document of the authorized representative who will sign; the RIPE NCC may ask for notarized copies. Individuals need an ID card or passport (ripe-863). Have the contact details of the people who will administer the LIR account and the billing contact ready. Nothing technical is needed at this stage.

Step 2: Create a RIPE NCC Access Account

Register a RIPE NCC Access account with your name and e-mail address, verify the address and set up two-factor authentication, mandatory on RIPE NCC Access since 2024. This account becomes the LIR Portal administrator once the LIR is active.

Step 3: Submit the Application Form

Open the application form from the RIPE NCC's Become a Member page, fill in the organization or personal details and the contacts, and upload the registration or identity documents. The RIPE NCC processes one application per applicant at a time; applications from related legal entities (same directors, owners or contact person) are handled one after the other. An entity that wants a second LIR account files a new application, pays the sign-up fee again and signs the LIR Account Agreement.

Step 4: Due Diligence Check

The RIPE NCC verifies the documents under ripe-863 and screens the signing parties against EU and Dutch sanctions lists. It publishes no processing time for membership applications.

Step 5: Sign the SSA and Pay the First Invoice

After due diligence, the RIPE NCC e-mails the Standard Service Agreement (ripe-812) and the first invoice together. Sign the SSA by hand: electronic signatures are not accepted. Return a scan by e-mail or the original by courier. The invoice carries the €1,000 sign-up fee plus the annual fee pro rata per quarter from the quarter you sign, due within 30 days.

Pay by bank transfer (quote the LIR and invoice numbers), by credit or debit card through the link on the invoice, by PayPal, or by Wero. The RIPE NCC does not accept cheques. Once it has both the payment and the signed SSA, it activates the LIR account and e-mails the new-member information.

Step 6: LIR Portal Setup

  • Log in to the LIR Portal with your RIPE NCC Access account, which now carries the administrator role
  • Add further administrators and contacts, and set the billing contact
  • Check the organisation object (org-id) and the default maintainer the RIPE NCC created; resource objects (inetnum, inet6num, aut-num) appear as each resource is allocated or assigned

Requesting Your Initial Resources

IPv4 Allocation

Policy in force (ripe-826, published 20 June 2024): Under the IPv4 allocation policy, each LIR can receive:

  • One /24 allocation (256 IPv4 addresses), the only allocation size still available from the RIPE NCC
  • One allocation per LIR, ever: an LIR that has already received any IPv4 allocation from the RIPE NCC cannot join the list
  • Issued from recovered space through the IPv4 waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis (no guaranteed waiting time)
  • Allocations made under this policy are subject to a 24-month hold before they can be transferred (ripe-807 section 2.2.1)
  • Members only; the allocation must be used to make assignments, and the network needs an active element in the service region (how the waiting list works)

Requesting Your IPv4:

  1. Open the IPv4 request form in the LIR Portal
  2. Confirm you meet requirements:
    • Your LIR has never received an IPv4 allocation from the RIPE NCC
    • You will use the addresses to make assignments
  3. Submit the request: the RIPE NCC processes it in around one working day (IPv4 page)
  4. Join the IPv4 waiting list: the request is queued first-come, first-served until enough recovered space is available for a /24
  5. Database objects created automatically once the allocation is made

Allocation Details:

  • Status: ALLOCATED PA (Provider Aggregatable)
  • Can be sub-allocated or assigned to customers
  • Can be used for your own infrastructure
  • Subject to RIPE policies for proper usage

Important Notes:

  • The /24 is the only allocation an LIR can receive from RIPE NCC under ripe-826; no further allocations are made to the same LIR
  • Additional IPv4 space comes from the transfer market: about $23.50 per address for /22 to /24 blocks in August 2026, so a /24 costs about $6,000 (broker IPv4.Global monthly averages, online and private sales mixed, priced at agreement date). RIPE NCC transfers are free of charge and usually complete within one or two business days (transfers)
  • On 25 September 2026, 791 LIRs were on the waiting list and the LIR at the front had waited 485 days; on 20 December 2025 the queue stood at 922 LIRs and 561 days. The RIPE NCC gives no guarantee on waiting time (ripe-826)

IPv6 Allocation

Standard Allocation: New LIRs receive a /32 up to /29 on request, without further information (ripe-738 section 5.1.2). A /32 holds 65,536 /48s or 4,294,967,296 /64 networks.

Requesting Your IPv6:

  1. Open the IPv6 request form in the LIR Portal
  2. State your plan: the initial allocation criterion is a plan to make sub-allocations or End Site assignments within two years (ripe-738 section 5.1.1)
  3. Pick the size: anything from /32 to /29 needs no further information (section 5.1.2); larger needs documentation that justifies the request
  4. Submit the request
  5. RIPE NCC evaluates the request
  6. Receive the allocation

Using Your IPv6:

  • Assign generously (use /48 or /56 per customer)
  • Plan for dual-stack deployment

Additional IPv6: extend each allocation to /29 at any time without documentation (ripe-738 section 5.7). Beyond that, a subsequent allocation needs an HD-Ratio of 0.94 on your assignments or a documented new need, and it doubles your space (sections 5.2.1 to 5.2.3).

Requesting an ASN

If you need an Autonomous System Number for BGP routing:

Requirements (ripe-679):

  • A multihomed network: the policy says "A network must be multihomed in order to qualify for an AS Number"
  • At least two peering partners on the request form (their ASN and a contact e-mail)
  • A routing policy, preferably written in RPSL

Request Process:

  1. Prepare documentation:
    • Routing policy description
    • BGP peering details
    • Network topology
  2. Submit ASN request through LIR Portal
  3. Provide technical details:
    • Peering arrangements
    • Multihoming setup
    • Routing architecture
  4. RIPE NCC evaluates technical justification
  5. Receive the ASN assignment
  6. Maintain the aut-num object (routing policy, abuse-c) in the RIPE Database
  7. Begin using for BGP routing

Annual fee:

  • €50 per ASN per year (ripe-848), invoiced with the annual fee on the resources held on 31 December
  • From 2027 the first ASN registered to an LIR account is included in the annual fee; each additional ASN costs €50 (ripe-867)
  • Each further ASN needs its own multihoming justification

Proposal 2026-01 would drop the needs test for a member's first ASN. Its discussion phase ended on 5 August 2026 and it is in drafting; it is not policy.

Setting Up Your LIR Operations

Establishing Database Management

Understanding the RIPE Database: The RIPE Database is the public registry of Internet number resources in the RIPE NCC service region. You must maintain accurate information about all your resources and assignments.

Initial Database Objects: When your membership is established, RIPE NCC creates:

  • Organisation object (org-id) representing your LIR
  • Maintainer object (mntner) for authentication
  • Person/role objects for your contacts
  • Resource objects (inetnum, inet6num, aut-num), created later as each resource is allocated or assigned

Database Management Tools:

  • Webupdates: Web interface for creating/updating objects
  • Mail updates: objects sent by e-mail, signed with PGP or X.509
  • RESTful API: Programmatic access for automation
  • Syncupdates: Synchronous updates via HTTPS

Since 4 March 2026 the RIPE Database no longer accepts maintainer passwords (release notes). Authenticate with your RIPE NCC Access account, an API key, OAuth 2.0 or OIDC tokens, or a PGP or X.509 signature on mail updates.

Key Objects You'll Manage:

inetnum / inet6num (IP ranges):

  • Your allocations from RIPE NCC
  • Assignments to customers
  • Sub-allocations to downstream networks
  • Infrastructure assignments

aut-num (ASNs):

  • Your AS number assignments
  • Routing policy information
  • Peering relationships

person / role:

  • Contact information
  • Admin, tech, abuse contacts
  • Must be kept current

For detailed guidance on database management, see: Managing Your RIPE LIR Account

Signing Your Routes with RPKI

Once your first allocation arrives, create ROAs for it in the RIPE NCC hosted CA through the RPKI Dashboard in the LIR Portal. By August 2026, ROAs covered 77% of IPv4 and 45% of IPv6 space in the RIPE NCC service region (RIPE NCC member update). The same dashboard creates ASPA objects. Step by step: How to Create RPKI ROAs in the RIPE Database. Check the result with the RPKI checker.

Implementing Abuse Handling

ripe-705 makes abuse-c: mandatory on every aut-num and on every directly allocated inetnum and inet6num, and the abuse-mailbox: address must be reachable without restriction. The RIPE NCC validates every abuse-mailbox: at least once a year and follows up on addresses that fail.

Set it up once: create a role object with abuse-mailbox:, reference it as abuse-c: from your organisation object and your resources, and route the mailbox into a ticketing system that someone reads every working day.

Registering Assignments

Every assignment to a customer is registered in the RIPE Database as an inetnum or inet6num with status ASSIGNED PA, linked to the customer's organisation object and carrying the required contacts. Keep the customer's details, the justification and the date in your own records, so a RIPE NCC registry check can be answered from them. Two statuses added in 2024 shorten the IPv4 work: ALLOCATED-ASSIGNED PA and AGGREGATED-BY-LIR (RIPE Database releases 1.112 and 1.113.2).

Review your registration data on a fixed schedule and keep the justification for each assignment on file. The compliance article linked above lists the obligations and the RIPE NCC's closure ladder.

Ongoing LIR Management

Regular Operational Tasks

The recurring work is small once the objects are right: read the abuse mailbox and the LIR Portal notifications every working day, register assignments as they happen, check contacts and registration data a few times a year, and pay the annual invoice, sent in the first quarter, within 30 days of its date.

Financial Management

Annual Fees (2026):

  • Annual membership: €1,800 per LIR
  • ASN fees: €50 per ASN
  • Independent (PI) resource fees: €75 per assignment
  • From 2027: €1,894 per LIR account with the first ASN included, €50 per additional ASN (ripe-867)
  • Budget and plan for these costs. See RIPE NCC Billing Procedure 2026

Keep the billing contact current: the RIPE NCC sends invoices to it and treats an unpaid invoice as default after 30 days without a reminder (SSA article 5.3).

Community Participation

RIPE Meetings:

  • Two RIPE Meetings a year; the next is RIPE 93 in Sofia, 26 to 30 October 2026, with the General Meeting on 28 to 30 October
  • New members get two free RIPE Meeting ticket codes (meeting week only), usable within two years of activation
  • Networking opportunities
  • Technical presentations and workshops
  • Policy discussions

Mailing Lists:

  • Subscribe to relevant lists
  • Participate in technical discussions
  • Stay informed about policy proposals

Working Groups:

  • Join working groups relevant to your interests
  • Address Policy Working Group
  • Database Working Group
  • Anti-Abuse Working Group
  • Others as applicable

Policy Development:

  • Review policy proposals
  • Provide feedback during comment periods
  • Participate in consensus building
  • One vote per member at General Meetings, whatever the number of LIR accounts; the May 2026 GM adopted the 2027 charging scheme

Training and Development

RIPE NCC Training:

  • RIPE NCC Academy courses, webinars and training
  • IPv6 training and workshops
  • RIPE Database courses
  • Security training

Certifications:

  • Three free RIPE NCC Certified Professionals exam vouchers per LIR account each year, valid until 31 December

Common Challenges and Solutions

IPv4 scarcity. One /24 is all the RIPE NCC will ever allocate to your LIR, and it arrives after the waiting list. Plan on dual-stack from day one, use carrier-grade NAT where IPv4 is unavoidable, and budget the transfer market for anything beyond the /24 (about $6,000 for a /24 in August 2026, see above).

Database and compliance workload. Most of it is one-off: correct objects, an abuse mailbox that is read, assignments registered when they happen. IPAM software and templates keep the records aligned with the RIPE Database; the two articles linked above cover the account and the obligations.

Cost. The €1,000 sign-up and €1,800 a year (€1,894 from 2027) only pay off when the LIR assigns space to others or needs allocations in its own name. For one ASN, sponsorship at €130 a year is the cheaper route.

Alternatives and Complementary Approaches

Sponsoring LIR Services

An LIR may sponsor independent resources for End Users and charge for it. Each sponsored End User signs a contract with your LIR that carries the six clauses of ripe-637. The RIPE NCC bills your LIR €50 per sponsored ASN and €75 per PI assignment each year (ripe-848). New PI requests are IPv6 only: the RIPE NCC no longer assigns IPv4 PI (ripe-826). Ending a sponsorship is a self-service form in the LIR Portal since November 2025.

Transitioning from PI to LIR

You can start with sponsored resources and become an LIR later:

Transition Path:

  1. Begin with PI resource as end user
  2. Business grows and model changes
  3. Decide LIR membership is justified
  4. Apply for LIR membership
  5. Keep PI resources or transition to LIR allocation
  6. Use LIR capabilities for new assignments

Considerations:

  • PI resources can be retained after becoming LIR
  • May sponsor your own PI resources as LIR
  • Transition gradually as needs evolve

If you already hold an ASN or PI block under a sponsoring LIR that is closing or dropping you, you do not need membership to keep it: change your sponsoring LIR before the RIPE NCC's deregistration windows run out (ripe-815).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an individual become a RIPE LIR?

Yes. The RIPE NCC accepts any legal entity or natural person as a member. An individual proves identity with an ID card or passport under ripe-863, signs the same Standard Service Agreement by hand and pays the same €1,000 sign-up fee and €1,800 annual fee in 2026.

When does a new LIR receive its /24?

On 25 September 2026 the list held 791 LIRs and the LIR at the front had waited 485 days. On 20 December 2025 it stood at 922 LIRs and 561 days, so it has shortened since.

Do I need to be an LIR to get an ASN?

No. Under ripe-679 the RIPE NCC assigns ASNs to End Users through a sponsoring LIR, and its membership page says an organization that needs an AS Number or IPv6 space does not need to join. The sponsored route is described step by step in our guide on how to register an ASN.

Does membership come with IPv4 addresses?

One /24 per LIR, from the waiting list, and only for an LIR that has never received IPv4 from the RIPE NCC. Anything more comes from the transfer market, at about $23.50 per address for /22 to /24 blocks in August 2026 according to broker IPv4.Global.

Next Steps

Membership fits when you assign address space to others or want allocations in your own name, and when the €1,000 sign-up and €1,800 a year (€1,894 from 2027) are covered by that business. Start with the register extract and the signatory's ID, file the application, and plan the IPv6 request for the day the account is active; the /24 follows when the waiting list reaches you. If you want help with the application, the first IPv4 and IPv6 requests, RIPE Database objects or RPKI setup, our LIR consulting service works on quote. If you only need an ASN, membership is not required: sponsorship costs €130 per year, as described above.

Sources:

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