RIR Comparative Policy Overview 2012-01

15 May 2012

RIR Comparative Policy Overview (version 2012-01)

(version 2012-01)

The goal of this document is to provide a comparative overview of policies across the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system. It is not a policy statement by the RIRs, but serves as a reference for the Internet community. While this document was accurate on the date of publication, it may be outdated by subsequent policy implementations. The official policy documents can be found at the respective websites of the RIRs. This is a public document that will be reviewed and revised quarterly through the coordinated efforts of the RIRs.

For more information, refer to the AFRINIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and RIPE NCC websites.

1. General

1.1 Goals of the RIR System

RIR	Policy
AFRINIC APNIC ARIN LACNIC RIPE NCC	All allocations and assignments of Internet resources must be consistent with the goals of the Internet Registry system: aggregation, conservation and registration.

RIR	Category	Policy
AFRINIC	Qualification	Membership is open to organizations legally present in the AFRINIC region of service.
	Access to registration services	Registration service is accessible by members only. Registered resources are publicly available.
	Fee model	Not-for profit. Fee established to enable cost recovery of operations.
APNIC	Qualification	Only organizations that are located in the APNIC region or have networks located in the APNIC region may apply for resources.
	Access to registration services	Members have full access to all services. Non-member account holders may access resource assignment and allocation services.
	Fee model	Not-for-profit. Fee schedule established to enable cost recovery of operations.
ARIN	Qualification	Organizations that receive direct allocations automatically become members. Membership also open to organizations with direct assignments or ARIN issued Autonomous System Numbers.
	Access to registration services	Do not need to be a member to receive registration services.
	Fee model	Not-for-profit. Fee schedule established to enable cost recovery of operations.
LACNIC	Qualification	Membership is open to LACNIC region only, without conditions.
	Access to registration services	Organizations approved for IP addresses automatically become members. It is not necessary to become a member to obtain some services like ASN assignments. Only organizations based in LACNIC region may apply for resources.
	Fee model	Not-for-profit. Fee schedule established to enable cost recovery of operations.
RIPE NCC	Qualification	Membership is open without conditions.
	Access to registration services	Members only. Direct Assignment Users who have a contract with the RIPE NCC can also access Registration Services.
	Fee model	Not-for-profit. Fee schedule established to enable cost recovery of operations.

RIR	Policy
AFRINIC	Valid as long as original criteria remain satisfied.
APNIC	Allocates and assigns on a “license” basis, to be of specific limited duration (normally 1 year). Licenses are renewable if: a) the original basis of the allocation or assignment remains valid and b) requirements have been met at time of renewal.
ARIN LACNIC	Valid as long as original criteria remain satisfied and registration fees are kept up to date.
RIPE NCC	Valid as long as original criteria remain satisfied.

RIR	Policy
AFRINIC	Does not allow sale of addresses, but recognises name changes and transfers of tangible assets associated with addresses. Requires submission of legal documents. Utilization is verified. May require new agreement.
APNIC	APNIC recognizes resource transfers under the following conditions:1) Historical resources may be transferred to an APNIC Member account. Transfers are purely optional and do not need to meet any technical justifications.2) APNIC recognizes transfers of IPv4 address blocks of /24 or greater between APNIC account holders. Recipients are required to justify their need for the resources.3) Transfers of IPv4 address blocks greater than /24 are recognized between APNIC account holders and account holders in other regions, only where that region has a suitable Inter-RIR transfer policy. The APNIC account holder must meet the requirements of APNIC policy and the entity in the other region must meet the policy requirements and criteria in its own region. If the recipient is in the APNIC region, they are required to justify their need for the resources.4) APNIC recognizes the transfer of any numeric resource resulting from mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers, where the effect of the new ownership is that an LIR changes its name. Supporting legal documentation is, as is full disclosure of all address space held by all entities involved.
ARIN	IPv4 number resources within the ARIN region may be released to ARIN by the authorized resource holder, in whole or in part, for transfer to another specified organizational recipient. Resources may only be received under RSA by organizations that are within the ARIN region and can demonstrate the need for such resources in the amount which they can justify under current ARIN policies. ARIN also recognizes name changes and transfers due to mergers and acquisitions. Requires documentation and demonstration of need.
LACNIC	Does not allow sale of addresses, but recognizes name changes and transfers of tangible assets associated with addresses. Requires submission of legal documents. Utilization is verified. May require new agreement. Once LACNIC or any of its NIRs becomes unable, for the first time, to cover an IPv4 block allocation or assignment because of lack of resources, LIRs and/or End Users within the LACNIC region will be allowed to transfer IPv4 blocks.
RIPE NCC	Member LIRs can transfer complete or partial blocks of IPv4 address space that were previously allocated to them by either the RIPE NCC or the IANA to another LIR. Such address space must not contain any block that is assigned to an End User. An LIR may only receive a transferred allocation after their need is evaluated and approved by the RIPE NCC according to the existing allocation policies. LIRs that receive a transfer from another LIR cannot re-allocate complete or partial blocks of the same address space to another LIR within 24 months of receiving the re-allocation. RIPE NCC also recognizes name changes and transfers of tangible assets associated with addresses. Requires submission of legal documents. Utilization is verified. May require new agreement.

RIR	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC / RIPE NCC	Valid as long as original criteria remain satisfied.	Do not actively recover unused resources, but if an organization closes, unused resources are returned to the public pool.
APNIC / LACNIC	Valid as long as original criteria remain satisfied.	Has policy to actively recover ‘unused’ networks. If an organization ceases operation, unused resources are returned to the public pool.
ARIN	Organizations found by ARIN to be materially out of compliance with current ARIN policy shall be requested or required to return resources as needed to bring them into (or reasonably close to) compliance.

RIR	Category	Policy
AFRINIC	Size	Slow start: /22 (can be exceeded when justified by requester).
	Eligibility	The requesting organization must show an existing efficient utilization of IP addresses from their upstream provider or an immediate need of IP addresses. Justification may be based on a combination of immediate need and existing usage.
	Period	1 year.
APNIC	Size	From Friday, 15 April 2011, new and existing APNIC account holders are eligible to receive a maximum /22 worth of address space from the remaining IPv4 address pool.
	Eligibility	a) Membership or pay non-member fee; b) have previously used or can demonstrate immediate need for /24; c) complied with policies in managing all previous address space; d) detailed plan for use of a /23 within a year;
	Period	1 year.
ARIN	Size	Slow start: /22 minimum for multihomed, otherwise /20 (can be exceeded when documented immediate need exceeds /20). /22 for Caribbean and North Atlantic Islands sector of the ARIN region.
	Eligibility	For a /22: efficient utilization of a /23 from upstream; intent to multihome; agree to renumber,or For a /21: efficient utilization of /22 from upstream; intent to multihome; agree to renumber,or For a /20: efficient utilization of /21 from upstream; intent to multihome; agree to renumber,or Efficient utilization of /20 from upstream (no renumbering required). For a /22 in the Caribbean and North Atlantic Islands sector: efficient utilization of a /22 from upstream (no renumbering required).
	Period	3 months.
LACNIC	Size	Slow start: /22, otherwise /21 (can be exceeded when documented immediate need exceeds /21).
	Eligibility	For a /22: current use or documented need of a /24; submit a detailed one-year utilization plan for a /23; agree to renumber out of the previously assigned block and return those IPv4 addresses to their ISPs no later than 12 months after the allocation of the /22; if the applicant does not already have an IPv6 block assigned by LACNIC, simultaneously request an IPv6 block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy. or For a /21: Must provide information on assignments with prefixes equal to or shorter than /29 (more than 8 IPv4 addresses) on LACNIC’s WHOIS database; must provide documentation that justifies the initial address space allocation (This must include detailed information showing how this resource will be used within a period of three, six and twelve months); must agree to renumber out of the blocks obtained from their providers within a period no longer than 12 months and return the space to its original provider; if the applicant does not already have an IPv6 block assigned by LACNIC, simultaneously request an IPv6 block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy. If the applicant is a multihomed ISP:Efficient utilization of at least 25% of the requested address space (contiguous or not). Else: Efficient utilization of at least a 50% of the requested address space (contiguous or not).
	Period	12 months.
RIPE NCC	Size	Slow start: /21 (can be exceeded when justified).
	Eligibility	a) Membership; b) Demonstration of need.
	Period	Until 1 July 2010, up to 12 months. Between 1 July 2010 – 31 December 2010, up to nine months. Between 1 January 2011- 31 June 2011, up to six months. As of 1 July 2011, up to three months.

RIR	Category	Policy
AFRINIC	Size	Minimum /22, no maximum.
	Eligibility	Demonstrate 80% efficient utilization of last allocated space or an immediate need that requires more IP addresses than are available in the most recent allocation.
	Period	Up to 1 year.
APNIC	Size	Minimum /24, up to a maximum /22 of the remaining available space after 15 April 2011.
	Eligibility	Demonstrate 80% efficient utilization of all prior allocated space.
	Period	Up to 1 year.
ARIN	Size	Minimum /22 for multihomed, otherwise /20, no maximum.
	Eligibility	Demonstrate efficient utilization of all previous allocations and at least 80% of the most recent allocation.
	Period	3 months.
LACNIC	Size	The policy for determining the size of additional allocations is based on the efficient utilization of space within a time frame of 12 months.
	Eligibility	Demonstrate 80% efficient utilization of all prior allocated space.The applicant must already have at least one IPv6 block assigned by LACNIC or, if not, must simultaneously request an initial IPv6 block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy. If an applicant has already been assigned an IPv6 block, they shall submit to LACNIC a brief document describing their progress in the implementation of IPv6.
	Period	12 months.
RIPE NCC	Size	Minimum /21, no maximum.
	Eligibility	Demonstrate approximately 80% efficient utilization of all prior allocated space.
	Period	Until 1 July 2010, up to 12 months. Between 1 July 2010 – 31 December 2010, up to nine months. Between 1 January 2011- 31 June 2011, up to six months. As of 1 July 2011, up to three months.

RIR	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	LIRs may sub-allocate addresses to other organizations, which further assign addresses to End Users. LIRs also assign addresses. Sub-allocations are subject to the “Sub-Allocation Window” procedure.
APNIC	LIRs may sub-allocate addresses to other organizations, which further assign addresses to end-users. LIRs also assign addresses. Sub-allocations are subject to the “Assignment Window” procedure.	See section 2.5.1 “Assignment Window” below.
ARIN	ISPs may sub-allocate addresses to other organizations, which further assign addresses to End Users.
LACNIC	RIR allocates and assigns IP blocks to organizations that can be ISPs, End Users or National Internet Registries, (NIRs – see section 7). NIRs allocate and assign IP blocks to organizations in their countries. ISPs may sub-allocate IP blocks to other ISPs or assign them to End Users.
RIPE NCC	An LIR may sub-allocate up to a /20 (4096 addresses) to a downstream network operator every twelve months, who can then assign addresses to End Users. The minimum size of a sub-allocation is a /24.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Size	/24 minimum, no maximum.
AFRINIC	Eligibility	Must be an AFRINIC member Must EITHER show an existing utilization of /25 from their upstream/ISP, OR Justify that at least 50% of the total 1 year requirement is needed immediately.
APNIC	Size	No minimum, no maximum.	In APNIC IPv4 policy there is no distinction between allocation or assignment. Both are designated as delegations.
APNIC	Eligibility	Requesting organization needs to be multihomed or demonstrate a plan to multihome within one month. Delegations will be made according to the following criteria: 25% immediate utilization rate and 50% utilization rate within one year.
ARIN	Size	/24 minimum for multihomed, otherwise /20, no maximum.	Known as ‘end-user’ assignments.
ARIN	Eligibility	Assignments will be made according to the following criteria: 25% immediate utilization rate and 50% utilization rate within one year. /24 and /23 networks must be returned if an organization receives an additional assignment.	Known as ‘end-user’ assignments.
LACNIC	Size	/24 minimum, no maximum.	Must agree to renumber out of all the blocks allocated by providers within a period of 3 months and return the space to its original provider; if the applicant does not already have an IPv6 block assigned by LACNIC, simultaneously request an IPv6 block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy.
LACNIC	Eligibility	Multihomed End Users may receive a minimum of /24 based on previous assignments of /25 from upstream providers. Single-home End Users may apply, for at least a /20, based on previous assignments of /21 from upstream providers.
RIPE NCC	Size	No minimum, no maximum.	However additional IPv4 will be assigned with multihoming requirements in order to make the overall assignment size a multiple of /24. No more than 255 additional IPv4 address may be assigned.
RIPE NCC	Eligibility	The utilization rate of an assignment must be such that at least 50% of the total space shall have been utilised halfway through the assignment period applied at the time of the assignment. Assignment period:Until 1 July 2010, up to 12 months. Between 1 July 2010 – 31 December 2010, up to nine months Between 1 January 2011- 31 June 2011, up to six months As of 1 July 2011, up to three months

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Definition	Public IXPs and root DNS service providers.	Portable space can be obtained by submitting a request directly to AFRINIC.
	Size	/24 minimum, more if justified.
	Eligibility	No specific criteria defined.
APNIC	Definition	Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs, NIRs.
	Size	/24 minimum.
	Eligibility	Delegations to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual operators of the network infrastructure performing such functions.
ARIN	Definition	Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs.	Requested via the ‘micro-allocations’ policy.
	Size	/24 minimum.
	Eligibility	Assignments to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual operators of the network infrastructure performing such functions.
LACNIC	Definition	Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs.	Requested via the ‘micro-allocations’ policy.
	Size	/24 minimum, /20 maximum.
	Eligibility	Assignments to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual operators of the network infrastructure performing such functions. If the applicant does not already have an IPv6 block assigned by LACNIC, simultaneously request an IPv6 block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy.
RIPE NCC	Definition	Anycasting ccTLD, gTLD, ENUM.	The organizations applicable under this policy are TLD managers, as recorded in the IANA’s Root Zone Database and ENUM administrators, as assigned by the ITU.
	Size	/24.
	Eligibility	The organisation may receive up to four /24 prefixes per TLD and four /24 prefixes per ENUM. These prefixes must be used for the sole purpose of anycasting authoritative DNS servers for the stated TLD/ENUM, as described in BCP126/RFC4786 (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4786.txt)

RIR	Category	Policy
AFRINIC	Size	No special policy.
AFRINIC	Eligibility	No special policy.
APNIC	Size	/24 up to a maximum of /22.
APNIC	Eligibility	Since APNIC reached an equivalent of a /8 remaining in the APNIC pool on 14 April 2011: 1. Each account holder (current and future) will be eligible to request and receive delegations up to a maximum of /22 from the remaining space, providing the account holder meets the criteria for receiving an initial or subsequent IPv4 delegation. 2. A /16 will be held in reserve for future uses, as yet unforeseen. If the reserved /16 remains unused by the time the rest of the remaining /8 worth of space has been allocated, the /16 will be returned to the APNIC pool for distribution under the policy described in the point above
ARIN	Size	/28 minimum, /24 maximum.
ARIN	Eligibility	Policy takes effect upon receipt of ARIN’s last /8 IPv4 allocation from IANA. Allocations and assignments are from a reserved /10 and must be justified by immediate IPv6 requirements.
LACNIC	Size	/22 for ISPs, /24 for Critical Infrastructure
LACNIC	Eligibility	When an equivalent of a /12 is remaining in the LACNIC pool, allocations and assignments will only be done to new members. Allocations to new ISPs will be of size /22 and assignments to critical infrastructure will be of size /24. No further allocations or assignments will be possible after receiving resources under this policy. If the applicant does not already have an IPv6 address block assigned by LACNIC, it must also request an IPv6 address block in accordance with the corresponding applicable policy.LACNIC will reserve an equivalent to another /12 block of IPv4 addresses for the purpose of achieving gradual exhaustion of IPv4 resources within the LACNIC region. LACNIC may only make IPv4 allocations or assignments greater than or equal to a /24 and smaller than or equal to /22 from this reserve pool. Organizations that receive IPv4 resources under the terms set forth in the following policy may receive additional IPv4 resources from LACNIC six months later. Blocks received under this policy may not be transferred as specified in paragraph 2.3.2.18 of the policy manual for a period of one year.
RIPE NCC	Size	/22
RIPE NCC	Eligibility	When RIPE NCC is required to make allocations from the final /8 it receives from the IANA: 1. LIRs may receive one allocation from this /8 providing they meet the criteria to receive IPv4 address space according to the allocation policy in effect in the RIPE NCC service region at the time of application. In addition, allocations will only be made to LIRs if they have already received an IPv6 allocation from an upstream LIR or the RIPE NCC. 2. A /16 will be held in reserve for some future uses, as yet unforeseen. In the event that this /16 remains unused at the time the remaining /8 covered by this policy has been distributed, it returns to the pool to be distributed policy described in the point above. 3. This section only applies to address space that is returned to the RIPE NCC and that will not be returned to the IANA but re-issued by the RIPE NCC itself. Any address space that is returned to the RIPE NCC will be covered by the same rules as the address space intended in clause 1. Minimum allocation sizes for the relevant /8 blocks will be updated if necessary 4. In case an allocation of a single /22 as per clause 1 can no longer be made, multiple allocations up to an equivalent of a /22 in address space will be made to fulfill a request.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Size	/32.
	Eligibility	a) be an LIR; b) not be an end site; c) show a detailed plan to provide IPv6 connectivity to organizations in the AFRINIC region. d) show a reasonable plan for making /48 IPv6 assignments to end sites in the AFRINIC region within twelve months. The LIR should also plan to announce the allocation as a single aggregated block in the inter-domain routing system within twelve months.
	Period	Up to one year.
APNIC	Size	/32.	Allocations consistent with the globally co-ordinated ‘IPv6 Address Allocation and Assignment Policy’ document. organizations may qualify for an initial allocation greater than /32 by submitting documentation that reasonably justifies the request.Considers IPv4 deployment as one of the means of justifying a larger initial allocation.
	Eligibility	APNIC members with IPv4 resources managed by APNIC but with no IPv6 resources automatically qualify for an appropriately sized IPv6 block.Organizations with no IPv4, or that wish to request more than a /32 should meet the following requirements: a) Be an LIR; b) not be an end site; c) plan to provide IPv6 connectivity to organizations to which it will make assignments; d) meet one of the following two criteria: have a plan for making at least 200 assignments to other organizations within two years, or be an existing LIR with IPv4 allocations from an APNIC or an NIR, which will make IPv6 assignments or sub-allocations to other organizations and announce the allocation in the inter-domain routing system within two years. In addition, APNIC will make allocations to ‘closed’ networks if they meet all other criteria. APNIC can make allocation based on existing IPv4 network infrastructure.
	Period	For up to one year.
ARIN	Size	/36, /32, /28, /24, /20, /16	The maximum allowable allocation shall be the smallest nibble-boundary aligned block that can provide an equally sized nibble-boundary aligned block to each of the requesters serving sites large enough to satisfy the needs of the requesters largest single serving site using no more than 75% of the available addresses.
	Eligibility	Organizations must meet any of the following criteria: 1. Already have an IPv4 ISP allocation from ARIN or one of its predecessor registries or can qualify for an IPv4 ISP allocation under current criteria. 2. Be multihomed for IPv6 or will immediately become multihomed for IPv6 using a valid assigned global AS number. 3. Provide a reasonable technical justification indicating why an allocation is necessary.
	Period	For up to five years.
LACNIC	Size	/32.	As a special case, LACNIC has a policy for the “Second Allocation” where An Organization that holds only one IPv6 allocation can return it (within the first 6 months of getting it) in order to receive another shorter prefix allocation from LACNIC.
	Eligibility	1. Hold an IPv4 allocation from LACNIC and announce the allocated block with the minimum possible level of disaggregation to the one that is publishing the IP blocks.Or, 2. a) Be a LIR or an ISP; b) Document a detailed plan for the services and IPv6 connectivity to be offered to other organizations; c) Announce the allocated block in the Internet inter-domain routing system, with the minimum possible level of disaggregation to the one that is publishing the IP blocks, within a period no longer than 12 months; d) Offer IPv6 services to clients or entities owned/related (including departments and/or sites) physically located within the region covered by LACNIC within a period not longer than 24 months than 24 months.
	Period	For up to one year.
RIPE NCC	Size	/32.	Organizations may qualify for an initial allocation greater than /32 by submitting documentation that reasonably justifies the request.Considers IPv4 deployment as one of the means of justifying a larger initial allocation.
	Eligibility	a) Be an LIR; b) have a plan for making sub-allocations to other organizations and/or End Site assignments within two years.
	Period	For up to two years.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Size	Minimum size of next allocation will equal the first allocation size. More can be allocated but justification must be supplied.	Contiguous allocation provided if possible.RFC 3194 defines the HD-Ratio.
	Eligibility	ISP/LIR must satisfy the evaluation threshold of past address utilization in terms of the number of sites in units of /48 assignments. The HD-Ratio of 0.94 is used to determine the utilization thresholds that justify the allocation of additional addresses.
	Period	Up to one year.
APNIC	Size	Minimum size of next allocation will equal the first allocation size. More can be allocated but justification must be supplied.	Contiguous allocation provided if possible. RFC 3194 defines the HD-Ratio.Guidelines on what will be considered a valid technical requirement is available at: http://www.apnic.net/criteria/ipv6-guidelines
	Eligibility	ISP/LIR must satisfy the evaluation threshold of past address utilization in terms of the number of sites in units of /56 assignments. The HD-Ratio of 0.94 is used to determine the utilization thresholds that justify the allocation of additional addresses.Alternative criteria may be considered where an organization can demonstrate a valid reason for requiring a subsequent allocation.
	Period	Up to two years.
RIPE NCC	Size	Minimum size of next allocation will equal the first allocation size. More can be allocated but justification must be supplied.	Contiguous allocation provided if possible.RFC 3194 defines the HD-Ratio.
	Eligibility	ISP/LIR must satisfy the evaluation threshold of past address utilization in terms of the number of sites in units of /56 assignments. The HD-Ratio of 0.94 is used to determine the utilization thresholds that justify the allocation of additional addresses.
	Period	Up to two years.
ARIN	Size	Where possible ARIN will make subsequent allocations by expanding the existing allocation. If ARIN can not expand one or more existing allocations, ARIN shall make a new allocation based on the initial allocation criteria above. The LIR is encouraged, but not required to renumber into the new allocation over time and return any allocations no longer in use. If an LIR has already reached a /12 or more, ARIN will allocate a single additional /12 rather than continue expanding nibble boundaries.	Subsequent allocations will also be considered for deployments that cannot be accommodated by, nor were accounted for, under the initial allocation. Justification for the subsequent subnet size will be based on the plan and technology provided with a /24 being the maximum allowed for a transition technology. Justification for transitional allocations will be reviewed every 3 years and reclaimed if they are no longer in use for transitional purposes. All such allocations for transitional technology will be made from a block designated for this purpose.
	Eligibility	An LIR which can show utilization of 75% or more of their total address space, or more than 90% of any serving site shall be entitled to a subsequent allocation.
	Period	Up to five years.
LACNIC	Size	Minimum size of next allocation will equal the first allocation size. More can be allocated but justification must be supplied.	Contiguous allocation provided if possible.RFC 3194 defines the HD-Ratio.
	Eligibility	ISP/LIR must satisfy the evaluation threshold of past address utilization in terms of the number of sites in units of /48 assignments. The HD-Ratio of 0.94 is used to determine the utilization thresholds that justify the allocation of additional addresses.
	Period	Up to two years.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC APNIC LACNIC RIPE NCC	Size	No policy.
AFRINIC APNIC LACNIC RIPE NCC	Eligibility	Not applicable.
ARIN	Size	/48 minimum.	These allocations come from specific blocks reserved only for this purpose.
ARIN	Eligibility	Organizations that currently hold IPv6 allocations may apply for a micro-allocation for internal infrastructure. Applicant must provide technical justification indicating why a separate non-routed block is required. Justification must include why a sub-allocation of currently held IP space cannot be utilized.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Definition	Root DNS operators, IXPs, RIRs	Part of the “Provider Independent (PI) Assignment for End-Sites” policy
	Size	/48 minimum.
	Eligibility	Requestor to prove they operate a critical infrastructure network.
APNIC	Definition	Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs, NIRs.
	Size	/32 maximum.
	Eligibility	APNIC members with IPv4 resources assigned under the IPv4 critical infrastructure policy, but with no IPv6 resources, automatically qualify for an IPv6 /48.Members that do not hold an IPv4 critical infrastructure assignment from APNIC, that have existing IPv6 resources, or that wish to request more than /48 should meet the following requirement: Assignments to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual operators of the network infrastructure performing such functions.
ARIN	Definition	Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs.	Known as ‘micro-allocation’ policy.
	Size	/48 minimum.
	Eligibility	Assignments to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual operators of the network infrastructure performing such functions.
LACNIC	Definition	NAPs, Root DNS, ccTLD, gTLD, IANA, RIRs, NIRs.
	Size	/48 minimum, /32 maximum.
	Eligibility	Micro allocation to critical Internet infrastructure operators only.
RIPE NCC	Definition	Root DNS, Anycasting ccTLD, gTLD, ENUM.	For Anycasting assignments for ccTLD, gTLD and ENUM, the organizations are TLD managers, as recorded in the IANA’s Root Zone Database and ENUM administrators, as assigned by the ITU.
	Size	For Root DNS minimum allocation size at time of request. It is up to four /48s per Anycasting ccTLD/gTLD and ENUM
	Eligibility	For Root DNS minimum allocation size at time of request. It is up to four /48s per Anycasting ccTLD/gTLD and ENUMRoot DNS: Assignments to critical infrastructure are available only to the actual network infrastructure performing such functions.Anycasting ccTLD, gTLD, ENUM: An organisation may receive up to four /48 prefixes per TLD and four /48 prefixes per ENUM. These prefixes must be used for the sole purpose of anycasting authoritative DNS servers for the stated TLD/ENUM, as described in BCP126/RFC4786.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Size	/48 minimum
AFRINIC	Eligibility	a) Not be a LIR; b) Qualify for an IPv4 PI assignment from AFRINIC under the IPv4 policy currently In effect; c) Be or plan to be an AFRINIC Member of the category “EU-PI”; and d) Show a plan to use and announce the IPv6 PI address space within twelve (12) months after approval.
APNIC	Size	/48 minimum.	These assignments come from a distinctly identified prefix.
APNIC	Eligibility	APNIC members with IPv4 resources assigned under the IPv4 multihoming policy, but with no IPv6 resources, automatically qualify for an IPv6 /48. Members that do not hold an IPv4 multihoming assignment from APNIC, that have existing IPv6 resources, or that wish to request more than /48 should meet the following requirement: a) An organization is currently multihomed or plans to be multihomed within three months.	These assignments come from a distinctly identified prefix.
ARIN	Size	/48 minimum.	The initial assignment size is determined by the number of sites. Nibble boundary assignments are available.
ARIN	Eligibility	Meet one of the following requirements: 1. have a previously justified IPv4 end-user assignment from ARIN or one of its predecessor registries 2. currently be IPv6 Multihomed or have a plan to immediately become IPv6 Multihomed using an assigned valid global AS number 3. have a network that will makes active use of a minimum of 2000 IPv6 addresses within 12 months 4. have a network that will make active use of a minimum of 200 /64 subnets within 12 months 5. provide a reasonable technical justification indicating why IPv6 addresses from an ISP or other LIR are unsuitable. or,Be a Community Network that will immediately have at least 100 simultaneous users and a demonstrated plan to have at least 200 simultaneous users within one year.
LACNIC	Size	/48 minimum, /32 maximum
LACNIC	Eligibility	Automatic if requestor has IPv4 assignments. Else: 1) Not been an LIR, 2) In case of announcing the assignment on the Internet inter-domain routing system, the receiving organization shall announce the block maintaining de-aggregation to a minimum in accordance with the announcing organization’s needs, 3) submit information showing address use plan for 3, 6 and 12 months, 4) submit network topology, routing and addressing plan.
RIPE NCC	Size	/48 minimum.	Assignments will be made from a separate “designated block”‘ to facilitate filtering practices
RIPE NCC	Eligibility	Meet the requirements of the policies described in the document entitled “Contractual Requirements for Provider Independent Resources Holders in the RIPE NCC Service Region“

RIR	Policy
APNIC	Blocks of ASNs are allocated to NIRs for further distribution to their members.
AFRINIC ARIN LACNIC RIPE NCC	Not applicable.

RIR	Category	Policy
AFRINIC ARIN LACNIC RIPE NCC	Eligibility	Policies for ASN assignments are aligned with the guidelines contained in RFC1930. Verify that a network will have a unique routing policy or that it will be a multihomed site before assigning an ASN.
APNIC	Eligibility	ASNs may be obtained directly from APNIC as a member or non-member account holder. The ASN obtained directly is portable. ASNs may also be obtained indirectly, through a LIR who ‘sponsors’ the request. In this event, the ASN is non-portable.Criteria need to be met in both cases, that is: An organisation is eligible if it a) is multihomed; and b) has a single, defined routing policy that is different from its providers’ routing policies. An organisation will also be eligible if it can demonstrate that it will meet the above criteria upon receiving an ASN (or within a reasonably short time thereafter).

RIR	Policy
AFRINIC ARIN RIPE NCC	From 1 January 2007 the RIR will process applications that specifically request 32-bit only AS Numbers (AS numbers that can not be represented with 16 bits) and assign such AS Numbers as requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific request for a 32-bit only AS Number, the RIR will assign a 16-bit AS Number.From 1 January 2009 RIR will process applications that specifically request 16-bit AS Numbers and assign such AS Numbers as requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific request for a 16-bit AS Number, the RIR will assign a 32-bit only AS Number.From 1 January 2010 the RIR will cease to make any distinction between 16-bit AS Numbers and 32-bit only AS Numbers, and will operate AS Number assignments from an undifferentiated 32-bit AS Number allocation pool.
APNIC	From 1 January 2010, APNIC ceased to make any distinction between two-byte only AS numbers and four-byte only AS numbers, and operates AS number assignments from an undifferentiated four-byte AS number pool.
LACNIC	From 1 January 2007 the RIR will process applications that specifically request 32-bit only AS Numbers (AS numbers that can not be represented with 16 bits) and assign such AS Numbers as requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific request for a 32-bit only AS Number, the RIR will assign a 16-bit AS Number.From 1 January 2009 RIR will process applications that specifically request 16-bit AS Numbers and assign such AS Numbers as requested by the applicant. In the absence of any specific request for a 16-bit AS Number, the RIR will assign a 32-bit only AS Number.From 1 January 2010, LACNIC shall allocate 32-bit AS numbers by default. 16-bit AS numbers shall be allocated, if available, in response to applications specifically requesting said resource and that duly justify the technical reasons why a 32-bit AS number would not be appropriate for its needs.

RIR	Category	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Modification	LIRs are required to register all assignments and sub-allocations.
AFRINIC	Entry	Can update all assignment and sub-allocation registrations (protection mechanism available). Org object cannot be created by a LIR.
APNIC	Modification	LIRs required to register all assignments and sub-allocations. Registrations will be stored privately by APNIC unless the custodian wishes them to be made publicly available in the APNIC Whois Database.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
APNIC	Entry	Can update all assignment and sub-allocation registrations (protection mechanism available). Incident Response Team reference mandatory for all IP address and AS number objects in the APNIC Whois Database to assist in reporting network abuse.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
ARIN	Modification	Downstream reassignments and reallocations are reported, showing hierarchy and End User assignments.Reassignment information for residential customers need not contain the customer’s name nor street address.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
ARIN	Entry	Can modify all parent data except “org name” and address range. Can modify all child data.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
LACNIC	Modification	Downstream reassignments and reallocations are reported, showing hierarchy and End User assignments.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
LACNIC	Entry	Can modify all parent data except “org name” and address range. Can modify all child data. Users have to authenticate themselves in LACNIC web system.	Not required to register infrastructure assignments.
RIPE NCC	Modification	LIRs are required to register all assignments and sub-allocations.
RIPE NCC	Entry	Can update all assignment and sub-allocation registrations (protection mechanism available).

RIR	Policy	Comment
AFRINIC	Only make delegations on 8-bit boundaries (/16 or /24). Multiple delegations may be requested to cover CIDR prefixes for blocks bigger than a /24.
APNIC	Provides reverse DNS based on domain objects in the APNIC database. If the delegation is /16 or larger then the authority for the reverse zone, it is delegated to the custodian of the address space.	Policy for “lame delegations” checking established and enforced.
ARIN	Provides reverse DNS for all allocations and assignments in the database with the following exception: For all /16 or larger blocks ARIN delegates reverse DNS authority to the registrant.	Policy for “lame delegations” checking established and enforced.
LACNIC	Provides reverse DNS for all parent blocks. Does not provide reverse DNS for reassignments on child blocks if the parent is /16 or greater.	Policy for “lame delegations” checking established and enforced
RIPE NCC	Provides reverse DNS delegation on request. Deploys DNSSEC on all the reverse zones.	RIPE NCC verifies RFC1912 compliance.

(version 2012-01)

1. General

1.1 Goals of the RIR System

1.2 Membership

1.3 Allocation Terms and Conditions

1.3.1 Type of Custodianship

1.3.2 Transfer of Custodianship

1.3.3 Recovering Unused Resources

2. IPv4

2.1 Initial Allocation

2.2 Subsequent Allocations

2.3 Sub-Allocations

2.4 Assignments by RIRs (Independent/Portable)

2.4.1 General

2.4.2 Critical Infrastructure

2.4.3 Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)

2.5 Assignments by LIRs

2.5.1 Assignment Window

2.5.2 Dynamic Addressing

2.5.3 Mobile Terminals

2.5.4 Web Hosting

2.5.5 Network Address Translation (NAT)

2.5.6 RFC1918 Private Address Space

2.6. Use of Final Unallocated IPv4 Address Space

3. IPv6

3.1 Initial Allocation

3.2 Subsequent Allocations

3.3 Other Allocations

3.3.1 Micro-allocations for Internal Infrastructure

3.4 Assignments by RIRs (Independent/Portable)

3.4.1 Critical Infrastructure

3.4.2 Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)

3.4.3 End Users

3.5 Assignments by LIRs

3.5.1 Dynamic Addressing

3.5.2 Mobile Terminals

3.5.3 Web Hosting

3.5.4 Network Address Translation (NAT)

4. Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs)

4.1 Allocations

4.2 Assignments

4.2.1 32-bit ASNs

5. Database – Registration

6. Reverse DNS

7. National Internet Registries (NIRs)

8. Policy Development

9. Internet Experiments

10. Documentation Prefix

German Valdez

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RIR	Policy
AFRINIC APNIC	Allocations and assignments of Internet resources for Internet experiments are available. Such allocations or assignments are made for one year after which they must be returned. They are intended to support experimental Internet activities. Results of experiments must be made freely available to the public.
RIPE NCC	RIPE NCC uses a reserved pool of Internet resources for temporary assignment. The assignment time limits are up to six calendars months and for research purposes up to one calendar year. The results of Internet experiments must be made publicly available.
ARIN	ARIN will allocate Numbering Resources to entities requiring temporary Numbering Resources for a fixed period of time under the terms of recognised experimental activity.
LACNIC	LACNIC shall make experimental allocations with the aim of encouraging research and development within the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. The experimental allocation shall be for a period of one year, renewable for a period of the same duration, with no specified maximum. The results of the experiment must be published on a public website.

RIR	Policy
APNIC	A documentation prefix is available to organizations wishing to use examples of Internet resources in educational materials, case studies and other documentation.
AFRINIC APNIC ARIN LACNIC RIPE NCC	No policy.