LIR vs PI: Which is Right for You?

An LIR is a RIPE NCC member that receives PA allocations it can assign to customers: €1,000 to join and €1,800 a year per LIR account in 2026 under the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848), €1,894 with one ASN included from 2027 (ripe-867, adopted May 2026). A PI assignment is registered to your own organization through a sponsoring LIR, for your network only, and the RIPE NCC charges €75 a year for it. Today that means an IPv6 PI /48 at minimum, since the RIPE NCC stopped assigning IPv4 blocks of this kind in September 2012.

If you only number your own network, PI is the cheaper route. If you assign addresses to customers, you need membership.

Understanding the Two Options

What is LIR Membership?

A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an organization that has a direct membership relationship with a Regional Internet Registry (RIR), such as the RIPE NCC. LIRs receive allocations of IP address space that they can use for their own infrastructure or assign to customers. The RIPE NCC had 19,977 members holding 20,687 LIR accounts in August 2026 (member update). The full fee and obligation picture is in RIPE LIR membership costs and benefits.

• Direct membership with the RIR
• Receive allocations (larger blocks intended for further assignment)
• Can sub-allocate or assign to customers
• Pay annual membership fees to the RIR
• Direct relationship with the RIPE NCC, within RIPE policy

What are PI Resources?

Provider Independent (PI) resources are IP address blocks assigned directly to end users by the RIR, under a contract with a sponsoring LIR. Organizations receive specific address blocks for their own use without becoming full LIR members.

• Specific assignments (for organization's own use)
• A contract with a sponsoring LIR (or, rarely, directly with the RIPE NCC) under ripe-637
• Cannot be sub-allocated or assigned to others
• Pay annual fees to the sponsoring LIR
• Provider-independent but not fully autonomous

Detailed Comparison

Financial Considerations

What each option costs (2026 and 2027)

The RIPE NCC's own charge on a PI assignment is €75 a year; everything above that is the sponsoring LIR's service fee. Nothing is charged for evaluating the request.

What you receive as an LIR:

• One IPv4 /24 from the RIPE NCC waiting list, at most once per LIR and only if it never received IPv4 before: 791 LIRs were queued on 25 September 2026 and the first in line had waited 485 days (waiting list, ripe-826)
• An IPv6 allocation: /32, or up to /29 without extra justification (ripe-738 section 5.1.2)
• The right to request ASNs, each for a multihomed network (ripe-679)
• The right to act as sponsoring LIR for other organizations' PI and ASNs
• Membership benefits (training, meetings, the General Meeting vote)

What you receive with PI:

• An IPv6 /48 registered to your organization (larger only with justification under ripe-738 section 5.4.2)
• An existing IPv4 PI block can be sponsored the same way if you receive one by transfer under ripe-807; the RIPE NCC assigns no new ones except to Internet Exchange Points (ripe-826)
• Registration in the RIPE Database with your own maintainer on the objects
• RPKI from your own End User certificate authority in the RIPE NCC RPKI dashboard
• An ASN is a separate request: it needs a multihomed network (ripe-679); IPv6 PI does not

Resource Allocation Differences

LIR Allocations

IPv4:

• Standard allocation: /24 (256 addresses) issued from recovered space via the IPv4 waiting list under ripe-826
• Additional allocations: not available (the per-LIR cumulative cap is a single /24)
• Sub-allocation rights: Can assign to customers or infrastructure
• Transfer restriction: 24 months from receipt for IPv4 (ripe-807 section 2.2.1)

IPv6:

• Initial allocation: /32, or up to /29 without extra justification (ripe-738 section 5.1.2)
• Additional space: Available based on justified need
• Sub-allocation rights: Full flexibility to assign to customers

ASNs:

• Can request multiple ASNs with justification
• €50 per ASN per year in 2026; from 2027 the first ASN of an LIR account is included in the €1,894 fee and each additional ASN costs €50 (ripe-867)
• Full control over BGP routing policies

PI Assignments

IPv4:

• The RIPE NCC stopped issuing new IPv4 PI in September 2012, and ripe-826 has no End User PI assignments (IXPs excepted)
• Existing IPv4 PI blocks still circulate: you can receive one by transfer (ripe-807), keep it under a sponsoring LIR, or move it to another sponsoring LIR if yours closes
• PI cannot be sub-assigned to other organizations

IPv6:

• Standard assignment: /48 for most end users (see IPv6 PI allocation sizes)
• Larger than a /48 only with justification under ripe-738 section 5.4.2; proposal 2024-01, whose Review Phase closed on 23 September 2026, would add /44, /40 and /36 steps and is not policy (2024-01)
• Cannot be sub-allocated
• No multihoming requirement for the block itself (ripe-738 section 7)

ASNs:

• Can request ASN with appropriate justification
• Requires a multihomed network and a routing policy (ripe-679)
• €50 per year RIPE NCC fee, passed through by the sponsoring LIR (ripe-848)
• Processed through sponsoring LIR

LIRs receive PA allocations for further distribution, PI holders receive assignments for their own use; PI vs PA resources covers that split.

Operational Flexibility

LIR: Maximum Flexibility

Resource management autonomy:

• Complete control over how you use your allocation
• Set your own customer terms within ripe-826 and ripe-738
• Ability to sub-allocate to subsidiaries, customers, or partners
• Direct relationship with RIPE NCC

Business model flexibility:

• Can operate as an ISP or hosting provider
• Able to assign addresses to customers
• Can offer IP resources as a revenue-generating service
• Option to sponsor PI resources for others (with fees)

On the technical side, an LIR can hold several ASNs, each multihomed, with full control of its own routing policy.

PI: Your Own Network Only

Resource management:

• Use only for your own infrastructure
• Cannot assign to others or create sub-allocations
• Registration data changes (organization name, contract) go through the sponsoring LIR

Business model limitations:

• Not suitable for assigning addresses to customers
• You may number servers you host and point-to-point links from IPv6 PI (ripe-738 section 2.6), but you cannot assign prefixes to customers
• Resources tied to your organization only

Technical constraints:

• Resources sized for specific justified use case

LIRs deal with the RIPE NCC directly; PI holders go through their sponsoring LIR for registration changes but run their own objects and RPKI.

Administrative Requirements

LIR Responsibilities

Database maintenance:

• Maintain accurate records in RIPE Database
• Update registration data when changes occur
• Create and manage database objects
• Maintain contact information

Compliance obligations:

• Follow all RIPE policies
• Respond to RIPE NCC audits
• Register every assignment in the RIPE Database
• Document assignments and allocations
• Submit reports as required
• Run the RIPE NCC due diligence of ripe-863 on every End User you sponsor: identity for natural persons, registration papers for legal persons, EU and Dutch sanctions screening

Technical requirements:

• Maintain necessary technical expertise
• Manage BGP routing if applicable
• Keep up with policy changes
• Participate in training and education

Membership adds the RIPE Database work for every assignment you make, the due diligence of ripe-863 on your own customers, and the yearly invoice; a PI holder maintains only its own objects.

PI Resource Holder Responsibilities

Database maintenance:

• Maintain your own route6 and domain objects with your own maintainer
• Send registration data changes (organization name, contract, contacts) to the sponsoring LIR
• Sign ROAs from your own End User certificate authority in the RIPE NCC RPKI dashboard, once a RIPE NCC Access account of yours is authorized to maintain the organization object (RPKI for End Users)

Compliance obligations:

• Follow RIPE policies for resource usage
• Cooperate with sponsoring LIR requirements
• Respond to audits (coordinated through sponsor)
• Maintain agreement with sponsoring LIR
• Pass the same ripe-863 checks through your sponsoring LIR before the contract is signed

Technical requirements:

• Implement and maintain routing for PI space
• Coordinate with sponsoring LIR for technical issues
• Basic understanding of IP addressing and routing

Switching and Portability

LIR Resources

Provider switching:

• Complete portability of your IP resources
• No need to change addresses when switching ISPs
• Maintain continuity during provider transitions
• Can multi-home to multiple providers simultaneously

Sponsoring LIR changes:

• Not applicable: you are the LIR

Resource transfers:

• Can transfer resources to other organizations (subject to policy)
• Participate in IPv4 transfer market
• 24-month transfer restriction on IPv4 received from the RIPE NCC; none on IPv6 or 32-bit ASNs (ripe-807)

PI Resources

Provider switching:

• Fully portable between service providers
• Primary benefit of PI resources
• No renumbering required
• Independent routing possible

Sponsoring LIR changes:

• Change sponsoring LIR at any time: the new LIR signs a contract with you and files the change with the RIPE NCC (ripe-815); the new contract must be in place before the old one ends (ripe-637)
• Only sponsoring-org: changes; the number, the objects and your maintainer stay
• An LIR can end a sponsorship from the LIR Portal with immediate effect since November 2025 (RIPE Labs); if yours ends the contract or closes, deregistration under ripe-858 waits out a window of 10 working days, then 10 more after a reminder (ripe-815)
• How to change your sponsoring LIR before that clock runs out

Resource transfers:

• Can transfer PI resources (subject to policy)
• The receiver needs a contract with a sponsoring LIR or with the RIPE NCC (ripe-807 section 2.0)
• An IPv4 PI assignment registered to the same legal entity as an LIR can be converted into a PA allocation through the LIR Portal; the conversion is irreversible and PA, unlike PI, cannot be sponsored by another member (RIPE NCC)

Growth and Scalability

LIR: Built for Growth

Suitable for organizations that:

• Plan to assign addresses to customers
• Expect to need additional resources over time
• Want to offer network services commercially
• Anticipate complex network architectures
• May need multiple ASNs
• Want to serve as sponsoring LIR for others

Growth path:

• Request additional IPv6 allocations as needed
• Acquire IPv4 addresses through transfers
• Add ASNs for routing policy needs
• Open additional LIR accounts if necessary
• Expand service offerings over time

Example growth scenarios:

• ISP growing from 10 to 1,000 customers
• Hosting provider expanding services
• Enterprise opening new regional offices
• Telecom launching new service lines

PI: Suitable for Stable Needs

Suitable for organizations that:

• Have well-defined, stable infrastructure needs
• Don't assign addresses to external customers
• Want provider independence without LIR complexity
• Have predictable long-term requirements
• Operate as end users, not service providers

Growth path:

• Request additional PI assignments with new justification
• Each assignment requires separate application and fees
• Can upgrade to LIR if needs change
• More limited expansion options

Example stable scenarios:

• Enterprise with fixed infrastructure
• Data center with predictable capacity
• Educational institution with stable size
• Organization with specific application hosting needs

Decision Framework

Choose LIR Membership If:

1. You provide services to customers requiring IP addresses
   • ISPs, hosting providers, managed service providers
   • You need to assign addresses to others regularly
2. You plan to offer network services commercially
   • IP address assignments as a service
   • Sponsoring LIR services
   • Managed infrastructure services
3. You have or anticipate complex networking needs
   • Multiple ASNs
   • Advanced routing policies
   • Multi-region operations
4. You value maximum control and autonomy
   • Direct relationship with RIR
   • No intermediary for resource management
   • Full policy control
5. The economics work in your favor
   • Need several allocations or several ASNs
   • Can monetize sponsorship services
   • Need resources that justify the cost
6. You have the technical and administrative capacity
   • Staff with appropriate expertise
   • Time to manage responsibilities
   • Resources for ongoing compliance

Choose PI Resources If:

1. You are an end user, not a service provider
   • Need addresses only for your own infrastructure
   • Don't assign addresses to external customers
   • Operate your own network
2. You want provider independence on a budget
   • Need portable IP addresses
   • Want to avoid LIR membership costs
   • Lower ongoing fees acceptable
3. Your IP address needs are stable and predictable
   • Well-defined infrastructure
   • No plans to become service provider
   • Consistent long-term requirements
4. You prefer outsourced administration
   • Sponsoring LIR handles RIR relationship
   • Less administrative burden
   • Simplified compliance
5. You need a specific address block size
   • a /48 of IPv6 for your own network
   • a larger PI block with a documented routing need
   • Defined, justified requirement
6. You want to minimize complexity
   • Simpler application process
   • Less ongoing management
   • Fewer compliance obligations

Common Use Case Scenarios

Scenario 1: Growing ISP

Situation:

• Currently 50 customers, expecting to grow to 500+
• Need to assign IP addresses to customers
• Want to offer portable IPs as competitive advantage
• Have technical team in place

Recommendation: LIR membership

• Necessary to assign addresses to customers
• Room to grow within allocation
• Can offer additional services
• Economic value improves with scale

Scenario 2: Enterprise with Multiple Offices

Situation:

• Large company with 10 global offices
• Need provider-independent addressing for business continuity
• Don't provide services to external customers
• Want to minimize administrative overhead

Recommendation: PI resources

• Meets provider independence need
• Stable, predictable requirements
• Avoids unnecessary LIR complexity and cost
• IPv6 PI covers it: a /48, or larger with justification under ripe-738 section 5.4.2

Scenario 3: Hosting Provider Startup

Situation:

• New hosting company launching
• Initial 20 customers, planning rapid growth
• Wants to host customer servers on its own addresses
• Limited initial budget

Recommendation: Start with PI, transition to LIR

• Begin with PI for initial operations
• Keep costs low during startup phase
• Transition to LIR when customer base justifies it
• Membership later brings a PA allocation of its own (/32 up to /29 under ripe-738) for customer assignments; the PI block stays registered to the company

Scenario 4: Managed Service Provider

Situation:

• Provides managed IT services to businesses
• Some customers need portable IP addresses
• Wants to bundle addressing with its managed services
• Established business with resources

Recommendation: LIR membership

• Enables offering IP resources as service
• Can sponsor customer PI requests
• Costs offset by service revenues

Scenario 5: University or Research Institution

Situation:

• Large campus network
• Research facilities with significant IP needs
• Provider independence important
• Education mission, limited budget

Recommendation: Depends on structure

• If assigning to departments/researchers: LIR
• If purely internal network: PI may suffice

Hybrid Approaches

Some organizations benefit from using both LIR and PI resources:

LIR with Additional PI Resources

Use case: LIR that needs additional specific address blocks

• An LIR can hold PI for its own infrastructure only when it shows routing requirements its allocation cannot meet (ripe-738 section 7); PI is never for customer end sites

Multiple PI Assignments Before LIR

Use case: Growing organization accumulates PI resources

• Start with one PI assignment
• Add additional PI assignments as needed
• Eventually transition to LIR when scale justifies
• Can sponsor own PI resources after becoming LIR

LIR for Business, PI for Specific Projects

Use case: Organization with diverse needs

• LIR for main service operations
• PI for specific isolated projects or subsidiaries
• Separation of concerns and accounting

Transition Paths

From PI to LIR

When to transition:

• Customer base grows to justify LIR costs
• Begin offering services requiring sub-allocations
• Need multiple ASNs or complex routing
• Want direct RIR relationship

Transition process:

1. Apply for LIR membership
2. Receive LIR allocation
3. Keep existing PI resources or transition them
4. Begin using LIR allocation for new assignments
5. An IPv4 PI block registered to the same legal entity can be converted into PA through the LIR Portal, irreversibly (RIPE NCC page linked above); IPv6 PI stays PI

From LIR to PI

When to consider:

• Business model changes from service provider to end user
• Downsize operations significantly
• Want to reduce ongoing costs
• No longer need sub-allocation capabilities

Transition challenges:

• An allocation can only be held by a member: closing the LIR account means transferring it to another member
• PI assignments and ASNs can move under a sponsoring LIR instead (ripe-831 section 3.2)

Making Your Decision

Step 1: Assess Your Needs

Ask yourself:

• Do I need to assign IP addresses to customers or external parties?
• What are my short-term and long-term IP resource requirements?
• Do I have the technical and administrative capacity for LIR membership?
• What is my budget for IP resource management?
• How important is maximum control vs. simplicity?

Step 2: Calculate the Total Cost

For LIR:

• Direct fees (membership, resources)
• Internal costs (staff time, systems)
• Value received (allocations, benefits, training)
• Potential revenue (from services enabled)

For PI:

• Application and setup fees
• Ongoing sponsoring LIR fees
• RIR fees (passed through sponsor)

Step 3: Consider Your Growth Trajectory

• Where will your organization be in 1, 3, 5 years?
• Will your IP resource needs increase significantly?
• Might your business model evolve to serving customers?
• Can you start small and transition later if needed?

Step 4: Evaluate Your Technical Capacity

• Do you have staff with appropriate networking expertise?
• Can you manage RIPE Database maintenance?
• Are you prepared for RIR audits and compliance?
• Would outsourcing administration be preferable?

Getting PI Without Becoming an LIR

Through our sponsorship an IPv6 PI /48 costs €300 setup plus €135 a year, €435 in the first year, and it stays registered to your organization if you ever change sponsoring LIR. To announce it you need an ASN: sponsored ASN registration costs €130 a year, with no RIPE NCC membership. If you do want your own LIR account, our LIR consulting covers the application.

For the complete membership setup process, read How to Become a RIPE LIR.

Conclusion

Both options keep your addresses when you change upstream; they differ in who may use them.

LIR membership fits:

• Service providers assigning addresses to customers
• Organizations with growing, dynamic IP needs
• Businesses that want maximum control and flexibility
• Entities that can justify the higher cost with matching value

PI resources fit:

• End users that only need provider independence
• Organizations with stable, predictable requirements
• Businesses prioritizing cost efficiency and simplicity
• Entities that would rather outsource the administrative overhead

Many organizations start with PI and join as members once they have customers to number. If you number only your own network, a sponsored IPv6 PI /48 and an ASN cost €565 in the first year and €265 a year after that. Membership starts to pay when you assign addresses to customers or need several allocations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still get IPv4 PI from the RIPE NCC?

No. The RIPE NCC stopped issuing IPv4 PI in September 2012, and ripe-826 keeps new assignments for Internet Exchange Points only. Existing blocks change hands through transfers under ripe-807 and can be sponsored by any LIR.

Can a sponsored End User hold an ASN without a PI block?

Yes. A sponsoring LIR requests it for you under ripe-679, which requires a multihomed network; through our sponsorship an ASN costs €130 a year. Proposal 2026-01 would let the holder of a directly assigned prefix get a first ASN without that test; it is in drafting and not policy (2026-01).

Does IPv6 PI require multihoming?

No. Section 7 of ripe-738 has no multihoming clause; a single upstream is enough for the block. The ASN you announce it from is the resource with the multihoming requirement.

Can I sign ROAs for my PI block?

Yes. PI holders get their own End User certificate authority in the RIPE NCC RPKI dashboard once a RIPE NCC Access account of theirs is authorized on the organization object. The sponsoring LIR's certificate authority is not involved.

What happens to my PI if my sponsoring LIR closes?

Deregistration under ripe-858 is the end point, but it waits for a window set by ripe-815: 10 working days to present a contract with a new sponsoring LIR, then 10 more after a reminder, counted from the RIPE NCC's notice. Signing with the new LIR first avoids the clock altogether.

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Sources:

• RIPE NCC Information on Independent Resources: https://www.ripe.net/manage-ips-and-asns/resource-management/number-resources/independent-resources/information-on-independent-resources-for-end-users/
• RIPE NCC LIR Basics: https://www.ripe.net/membership/member-support/lir-basics/
• RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-848/
• IPv4 Allocation Policy (ripe-826): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-826/
• IPv4 Waiting List: https://www.ripe.net/manage-ips-and-asns/ipv4/ipv4-waiting-list/
• RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2027 (ripe-867): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-867/
• IPv6 Address Allocation and Assignment Policy (ripe-738): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-738/
• ASN Assignment Policy (ripe-679): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-679/
• Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resource Holders (ripe-637): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-637/
• Transfer Policies (ripe-807): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-807/
• Changing a Sponsoring LIR (ripe-815): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-815/
• Closure and Deregistration (ripe-858): https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-858/
• Converting PI Assignments to PA Allocations: https://www.ripe.net/manage-ips-and-asns/ipv4/converting-pi-to-pa/
• RPKI for Provider Independent End Users: https://www.ripe.net/manage-ips-and-asns/resource-management/rpki/resource-certification-rpki-for-provider-independent-end-users/