Restriction on the Acquisition of Additional LIR Accounts

The RIPE NCC Executive Board has decided to temporarily restrict members' ability to acquire additional Local Internet Registry (LIR) accounts.

Taking effect from Tuesday, 29 September, the restriction also covers requests already in progress.

The decision is a first step towards addressing the administrative burden of multiple accounts, while allowing related questions about IPv4 allocations from the IPv4 Waiting List to be discussed within the RIPE community.

The resolution does not require members to close or consolidate LIR accounts they already hold. It also does not establish a timetable for phasing out existing accounts. Rather, we will engage with members who hold multiple accounts in order to determine the best way to meet their needs in ways that do not require having more than one LIR account.

If required, the RIPE NCC will provide clarification and support to members that acquired another RIPE NCC member and believe they need to maintain the acquired company's original LIR account. However, this is not required under the current policies and procedures as resources can be transferred to the acquiring party's LIR account at any time following a merger or acquisition.

The Board agreed that the ability to acquire additional LIR accounts should remain restricted until the outcome of related policy discussions is clear.

The Executive Board passed this resolution at the 195th Executive Board meeting.

Gabor de Wit, RIPE NCC Chief Registry Officer, has also written a RIPE Labs article detailing what this decision means for members.