How to Register an ASN with RIPE NCC: 2026 Fees and Steps

If you want to announce your own IP prefixes via BGP, peer at an Internet Exchange, or run a multihomed network, you need an Autonomous System Number. This guide walks through the RIPE NCC ASN registration process as it stands in 2026: eligibility, the LIR sponsorship model, fees, documentation, timeline, and what to do once you have your number.

What is an Autonomous System Number (ASN)?

An ASN is a unique 32-bit integer assigned to a network that operates its own routing policy on the public Internet. ASNs identify networks in BGP, the protocol that glues the Internet together. When your router announces a prefix, it includes your ASN in the AS_PATH attribute. Every other network uses that number to decide whether to accept your routes.

IANA has no blocks of the original 16-bit space (0-65535) left to distribute. The full 32-bit range (0-4294967295) is defined in RFC 6793, and RIPE NCC assigns 32-bit ASNs by default. Every modern BGP implementation supports 4-byte ASNs.

Who needs an ASN?

You need an ASN if you plan to do any of the following:

Multihome your network across two or more upstream providers
Peer at an Internet Exchange Point (IXP)
Announce provider-independent (PI) IP space that you own or lease
Operate a network with its own routing policy distinct from your upstream

You do not need an ASN if you are a single-homed customer using your provider's IP space. Your traffic already routes through their AS.

How does ASN registration work with RIPE NCC?

RIPE NCC is one of five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). It manages number resource allocation for Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia, covering over 75 countries. The assignment policy in force is ripe-679, "Autonomous System (AS) Number Assignment Policies".

There are two paths to getting an ASN through RIPE NCC. The right choice depends on the scale of your operation.

Should I become a RIPE NCC member or use a sponsoring LIR?

A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an organization that has signed a membership agreement with RIPE NCC. LIRs can request and manage Internet number resources directly.

Path 1: Become a RIPE NCC member (open your own LIR account). You get direct access to the RIPE LIR Portal, can request ASNs and IP space yourself, and manage your own RIPE database objects. This makes sense if you are an ISP, hosting provider, or enterprise that will manage multiple resources over time.

Path 2: Use a sponsoring LIR. A sponsoring LIR submits the ASN request on your behalf and maintains the administrative relationship with RIPE NCC. You get the same ASN. The resource is fully portable: you can transfer sponsorship to another LIR at any time. This path suits organizations that need one ASN and possibly a PI prefix but do not want to deal with RIPE NCC membership administration. If you want this handled end to end, our sister service Via-Registry registers ASNs through sponsorship with the RIPE fee included, typically live in 1-2 business days.

	LIR membership (Path 1)	Sponsoring LIR (Path 2)
Cost structure	EUR 1,000 sign-up + EUR 1,800/year (2026) + EUR 50 per ASN	Sponsor service fee + EUR 50 RIPE NCC per-ASN fee (bundled or itemised)
Best for	ISPs, hosting providers, networks managing multiple resources	Single ASN, hobbyist networks, small companies
Admin burden	You manage your LIR account, billing, RIPE database objects	LIR handles RIPE admin; you manage your BGP config
Resource portability	Resources tied to your LIR account	ASN is yours; transfer to another sponsor anytime

The fee figures come from the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848). RIPE NCC bills its EUR 50 per-ASN fee to the sponsoring LIR, never to you. The LIR passes it on, bundled into its price or as a separate line. Sponsor service fees vary by provider.

Decision rule: If you only need one ASN and maybe one PI prefix, use a sponsoring LIR. If you plan to manage IP allocations, assign resources to downstream customers, or request more than a handful of resources, open your own LIR account.

What documents are required for ASN registration?

The exact paperwork depends on your sponsoring LIR, but RIPE NCC requires the following through the sponsoring LIR:

End User Assignment Agreement between you and the sponsoring LIR, based on RIPE NCC's model Independent Assignment Request and Maintenance Agreement. Your LIR provides it.
Company registration documents (a commercial trade register extract or equivalent), or a copy of a valid identity card for individuals and unincorporated entities.
Peering partners. The AS numbers and contact email addresses of at least two peering partners (upstreams or IXP peers), each with a different ASN, as listed in RIPE NCC's supporting notes. No network diagram is required.
Routing policy described in RPSL (Routing Policy Specification Language). This is typically a simple import/export statement. Your LIR can help draft it.

Organisations registered outside the RIPE NCC service region must show that they provide services in it.

What is the multihoming requirement?

Under ripe-679, a network must be multihomed to qualify for an AS Number. RIPE NCC evaluates this as BGP sessions with at least two other networks (upstreams or peers), each with its own ASN.

In practice, the requirement is applied loosely. The authors of policy proposal 2025-01 estimated that about half of RIPE-assigned ASNs would not meet the criteria. Planned peerings are accepted; RIPE NCC asks for the peers' ASNs and contact emails.

Policy proposal 2026-01: a simpler path for a first ASN (not yet adopted)

RIPE policy proposal 2025-01 ("ASN assignment criteria revisited") proposed dropping the multihoming requirement entirely for first ASN assignments. It was withdrawn on 6 July 2026 so that the rewritten text could get a new policy ID.

The successor is proposal 2026-01 ("Simplify assignment of first ASN"), published on 7 July 2026. It is narrower: only holders of an IP prefix assigned or allocated directly by RIPE NCC would receive their first ASN without a needs justification. An applicant who only holds provider (PA) space would still need the two-peer justification, and additional ASNs would still need a new routing policy. The rationale is unchanged: 32-bit ASN space is not scarce and the current requirement is unenforceable.

As of September 2026 the proposal is still in its discussion phase, waiting for a RIPE NCC impact analysis before review. ripe-679 and its multihoming rule remain in force. If you are applying now, prepare a multihoming justification: two named peers with their ASNs and contact emails.

How much does it cost to register an ASN?

RIPE NCC uses a layered fee structure: annual membership or per-resource fees depending on your path. Sponsoring LIRs charge their own service fee on top. All RIPE NCC fees are published in the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2026 (ripe-848).

Sponsoring LIR path (most common for individuals and small networks)

The cost has two components: the RIPE NCC per-ASN fee of EUR 50 per year (billed to the LIR and passed through to you) and the LIR's own service fee, bundled or itemised. The per-ASN fee was introduced in the 2025 charging scheme; before 2025 there was no separate per-ASN charge. Published sponsor service fees run from about EUR 50 to 100 per year, so expect about EUR 100 to 150 per year all-in. See what an ASN really costs in 2026 for a maintained breakdown across providers and RIRs.

If you also register PI address space through the same LIR, RIPE NCC charges EUR 75 per year per independent resource (IPv4 PI, IPv6 PI, anycast or IXP assignment).

LIR membership path

In 2026, LIR membership costs a one-time sign-up fee of EUR 1,000 and EUR 1,800 per year per LIR account, plus EUR 50 per ASN and EUR 75 per independent resource. It only makes economic sense if you manage multiple resources or resell connectivity.

What changes in 2027

The Charging Scheme 2027, adopted at the May 2026 General Meeting, raises the annual fee to EUR 1,894 per LIR account (sign-up stays at EUR 1,000) and includes the LIR's first ASN in that fee. Additional and sponsored ASNs stay at EUR 50, independent resources at EUR 75. For an end user with a sponsoring LIR, nothing changes.

How long does ASN registration take?

Step	Duration	Who acts
Choose a sponsoring LIR, sign agreement	Same day to 3 days	You + LIR
Gather documentation, create RIPE DB objects	Same day to 2 days	You + LIR
LIR submits ASN request to RIPE NCC	Same day	LIR
RIPE NCC evaluates the request	Usually a few business days once the file is complete	RIPE NCC
ASN assigned and visible in RIPE database	Same day as approval	RIPE NCC
Total	1 business day to about a week

RIPE NCC publishes no target processing time. A sponsoring LIR that prepares the file and database objects for you can have a straightforward case (company in the RIPE region, two named peers) live in 1-2 business days. Out-of-region entities or incomplete files take longer.

16-bit vs 32-bit ASN

RIPE NCC assigns 32-bit ASNs by default. This has been the case since 2009. The 32-bit ASN range (0-4294967295) is defined in RFC 6793.

16-bit ASNs (0-65535) are still in use across the Internet. IANA has no 16-bit blocks left to distribute, but RIPE NCC's free pool holds about 5,000 returned 16-bit numbers (delegated stats, September 2026), issued only on specific request through your LIR. If you need one for legacy equipment that cannot handle 4-byte ASNs, ask your LIR to request it. Some 16-bit ASNs are also available on the secondary transfer market.

For new deployments, use a 32-bit ASN. BGP sessions have handled 4-byte ASNs for over a decade. The one difference you still meet: a 32-bit ASN does not fit in a standard BGP community (two 16-bit fields), so use Large Communities (RFC 8092) for your own signalling.

Step-by-step: registering an ASN through a sponsoring LIR

1. Choose a sponsoring LIR. Compare pricing, included services (RPKI management, RIPE database maintenance, BGP support), and contract terms. Some LIRs bundle ASN registration with PI space and BGP transit. Via-Registry, the sponsoring LIR behind the Virtua.Cloud offer, is one option at EUR 130/year including the RIPE fee. Several other LIRs offer similar services across the RIPE region.

2. Sign the End User Assignment Agreement. Your LIR provides this document. It governs the sponsorship relationship and your obligations regarding the resource.

3. Provide your documentation. Company registration or ID, the ASNs and contact emails of two peering partners, and your routing policy in RPSL.

4. Create RIPE database objects. Before the ASN request is submitted, you need objects in the RIPE database. Your LIR may create these for you:

person or role object: contact information for the ASN holder
organisation object: your legal entity in the RIPE database
mntner (maintainer) object: authentication for modifying your objects

5. LIR submits the ASN request. The LIR fills in the request form in the RIPE LIR Portal, referencing your documentation and RIPE DB objects.

6. RIPE NCC evaluates. RIPE staff review the request, verify documentation, check that the multihoming requirement is met, and screen the applicant against EU sanctions lists. They may ask follow-up questions; the request waits on your answer.

7. ASN is assigned. RIPE NCC creates the aut-num object in the RIPE database with your contacts and the sponsoring LIR reference. You then add your import/export policy to the object with your own maintainer.

What to do after your ASN is assigned

You need to set up several things before you can announce routes. Route objects and ROAs are authorised by whoever holds the IP address space, not by the ASN holder: you (or your sponsoring LIR) for PI space, your provider for PA space.

1. Create route and route6 objects

For every prefix you plan to announce, create a route (IPv4) or route6 (IPv6) object in the RIPE database. These objects bind a prefix to your ASN and are used by other networks for route filtering.

route:          203.0.113.0/24
descr:          Example Network
origin:         AS64496
mnt-by:         YOUR-MNT
source:         RIPE

Creating it needs authorisation from the maintainer of the covering address block (mnt-routes, else mnt-lower or mnt-by). For PA space, ask your provider to create or approve it.

2. Set up RPKI ROAs

A Route Origin Authorization (ROA) cryptographically binds a prefix to an origin ASN. Networks that perform RPKI validation will reject announcements of that prefix from any other ASN. For PI space, you create ROAs in the RIPE NCC RPKI dashboard, either directly as a PI end user or through your sponsoring LIR. For PA space, ask your provider to create a ROA authorising your ASN.

Create ROAs for each prefix you announce. Set the max-length carefully. For a /24, set max-length to 24 unless you plan to announce more specifics.

RPKI ROA Setup for BGP: Create ROAs, Validate Routes in BIRD2 and FRR

Since December 2025 the same dashboard also lets the ASN holder create an ASPA record listing every upstream allowed to carry the ASN. List all of them, or validating networks treat paths through an unlisted upstream as invalid.

3. Create an AS-SET

An as-set object groups your ASN (and any downstream ASNs you carry). Upstream providers and IXPs use your AS-SET for prefix filter generation via tools like bgpq4 querying the IRR databases. Since December 2022 the RIPE database only accepts hierarchical AS-SET names, so the name starts with your ASN.

as-set:         AS64496:AS-EXAMPLE
descr:          Example Network AS-SET
members:        AS64496
tech-c:         YOUR-NIC
admin-c:        YOUR-NIC
mnt-by:         YOUR-MNT
source:         RIPE

4. Register on PeeringDB

PeeringDB is the global database where networks publish their peering information. Create an account, register your ASN, and fill in your facility locations, IXP memberships, and peering policy. Sign up with an email address listed on your aut-num or organisation object so that your affiliation is validated automatically. Other networks use PeeringDB to find and evaluate potential peers.

5. Configure BGP on your router

With the ASN assigned, RPKI ROAs in place, and route objects created, you can configure BGP on your router or VPS. Two popular open-source BGP daemons for Linux:

BIRD 2: BIRD2 BGP Configuration on a Linux VPS
FRRouting (FRR): FRRouting BGP Configuration on a Linux VPS

Your upstream provider or IXP will give you a BGP session configuration: their ASN, peering IP addresses, and any prefix limits or communities.

6. Check your announcements

After bringing up your BGP sessions, verify your routes are visible from the outside:

RIPEstat: Check your ASN's routing status, RPKI validity, and visibility
bgp.tools: See your prefix announcements and AS path from multiple vantage points
NLNOG Looking Glass: Query BGP tables from networks across the NLNOG ring

If your prefix does not appear, check:

Is the BGP session established? (show bgp summary on your router)
Is the prefix in the RIPE database with a matching route object?
Is your ROA valid? (check on RIPEstat)
Does your upstream's prefix filter include your AS-SET?

Keep the ASN visible once it is up. RIPE NCC's AS Number clean-up contacts holders of ASNs not seen in routing; with no reply within one month, a three-month deregistration starts.

BGP and Bring Your Own IP on a VPS: The Complete Guide

Frequently asked questions

Can I register an ASN as an individual? Yes. RIPE NCC's model agreement accepts a valid identity card instead of a company registration extract. The same multihoming justification applies.

Can I transfer my ASN to a different sponsoring LIR? Yes, at any time. You sign a new End User Assignment Agreement with the new LIR, which submits it through the LIR Portal. The ASN stays the same. Since November 2025 a sponsoring LIR can also end a sponsorship by self-service, so line up the new sponsor first.

Can I use my RIPE ASN outside Europe? The ASN is a global identifier. Once assigned, you can announce it from any location; no RIPE policy restricts where it is used. RIPE NCC does expect you to have some service or network presence in its region.

Do I need IP space before registering an ASN? No. Under ripe-679 you can register an ASN first and obtain IP space later. Some networks start by announcing provider-assigned (PA) space from their upstream with their own ASN, then obtain PI space. Under proposal 2026-01, if adopted, only holders of RIPE NCC-issued space would skip the justification.

Can I use a private ASN instead of a public one? Only inside your own network or with a single provider that strips it. RFC 6996 reserves 64512-65534 and 4200000000-4294967294 for private use. They are not unique and are stripped or filtered from the public table, so a route object or ROA naming one has no effect. IXP peering or announcing your own prefixes needs a public ASN.

What happens if my request is rejected? RIPE NCC usually asks follow-up questions rather than rejecting outright: a missing peer ASN, an unclear routing policy or an unverifiable legal entity. Answer through your LIR and the request continues; a closed request can be resubmitted with a complete file. A sanctions-list match is refused outright.

What happens if I stop paying? If you stop paying your sponsoring LIR, or the LIR stops paying RIPE NCC, the resource returns to RIPE NCC under RIPE NCC's contractual requirements for independent resources (ripe-637). The same happens if the contract ends without a new sponsor or the holder cannot be contacted. Find a new sponsor before ending a contract.

Is there a free ASN option? No. A sponsored ASN costs the EUR 50 RIPE NCC fee plus the sponsor's service fee. From 2027, a member's first ASN is included in the EUR 1,894 annual LIR fee, the only case with no separate charge. See the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme for current rates.

When should I open my own LIR account instead? When you need IPv4 or IPv6 allocations to assign to your own customers, or hold several ASNs or PI blocks. That is what justifies EUR 1,000 sign-up plus EUR 1,800 per year (EUR 1,894 from 2027). For one ASN and one PI prefix, sponsorship (EUR 100 to 150 per year for the ASN, plus the PI fees) is the cheaper path.