Zero downtime • No renumbering • No lock-in

LIR Sponsoring

Your current LIR is closing, charging too much or not answering tickets? Move the sponsorship of your existing IPv6 prefixes or ASN to DreamServer's RIPE NCC LIR in a single coordinated change. Your announcements stay on the routing table, your RPKI ROAs stay signed, only the mnt-by, org and sponsoring attributes change in the database.

Start transfer discussion How it works
Starting at
100 €
/ year
per sponsored resource (IPv6 prefix or ASN)
  • No RIPE transfer fee on our side
  • RPKI continuity preserved
  • Annual RIPE audit handled
  • Cancel anytime, move back out
  • Full ownership retained
Why customers switch sponsors

Four reasons your current LIR has become a liability

The LIR is closing. RIPE NCC membership is a recurring cost; smaller LIRs that have run out of customers sometimes wind down operations. If your sponsor closes without arranging a hand-over, your resources can end up in limbo.

Pricing has drifted. Annual sponsorship fees of 200-400 € per resource are common. If you are paying far above market rate for administrative work your current LIR has automated, it is time to re-shop.

Operational neglect. Delayed RPKI ROA updates, ignored abuse-c rotations, late audit responses or no support during routing emergencies, any of these signal that your LIR is not investing in the infrastructure your resources depend on.

Strategic concentration. You already run services on DreamServer infrastructure or peer with us at DSIX, and consolidating LIR administration simplifies your vendor footprint and support loop.

What stays the same
  • ASN number and every IPv6 prefix stay identical
  • Your BGP announcements never pause
  • Admin-c, tech-c and legal ownership stay with you
  • RPKI ROAs remain published without interruption
  • Existing peering relationships stay in place
Only the mnt-by, org and sponsoring attributes at RIPE change. Your routers and peers never notice.

The sponsorship transfer, step by step

Standard transfers close in 3 to 5 business days. The only part that depends on a third party is RIPE NCC confirming the sponsor change.

1

Resource inventory

You send the list of resources (ASN, IPv6 prefixes) and your current sponsor's contact. We draft a migration plan and quote.

2

Sponsor letter

We issue a sponsor agreement under your legal entity and contact the outgoing LIR to release the resources. Most LIRs release within a week.

3

RIPE update

Sponsorship changed in the RIPE Portal, mnt-by rotated to our maintainer, org attribute updated, abuse-c refreshed.

4

RPKI migration

ROAs re-signed under our CA (same ASN, same prefix, new certificate). Dual validity window while old ROAs are revoked so nothing is ever invalid.

5

Closed out

Credentials delivered, handover documented, first annual invoice issued. Old LIR loses write access. Your routing never blinked.

Related services

Managed LIR
Keep your LIR, outsource ops
ASN Registration
Register a new ASN instead
BGP Services
Operate the network too

Leaving your current LIR does not have to hurt

Send us the resource list and we draft the migration plan the same day.

Start the transfer Email us

LIR Sponsoring FAQ

Common questions about moving sponsorship between LIRs.

Will my BGP announcements go dark during the transfer?
No. The transfer is a pure database operation. Your routers keep announcing the same prefixes with the same ASN throughout the process; RIPE database attributes change in the background. Most customers do not even know a change happened until they look at the updated whois output.
Does RPKI keep working during the transfer?
Yes. We use a dual-valid window: new ROAs are signed and published under our CA before the old LIR revokes theirs. At no point is your prefix without at least one valid ROA, so validators on the global internet never see a gap.
What does the outgoing LIR have to do?
They need to sign a release of the resource to the new sponsor. It is a standard RIPE NCC workflow and most LIRs handle it routinely. If they drag their feet, we have templates and can coordinate with them or escalate to RIPE NCC if necessary.
Is there a RIPE transfer fee?
Not for sponsorship changes, those are free. There is a transfer fee only for full resource ownership transfers between organisations, which is a different workflow. If your situation requires an ownership transfer as well, we quote the RIPE fee at cost.
Why is 100 EUR/year the starting price? Aren't some LIRs charging 200-400?
Because modern LIR automation made the per-resource marginal cost small. We maintain the RIPE membership fee regardless, so sponsoring one more /40 or ASN adds minimal work, abuse-c rotations, ROA updates, the annual audit reply. Pricing reflects that reality.
Can I sponsor multiple resources at a discount?
Yes. Bulk sponsoring of 3+ resources under the same organisation qualifies for volume discounts. Send us the inventory and we quote a flat annual fee for the bundle.
Can I ever leave you too?
Of course. Sponsorship is non-exclusive and non-locked. If another sponsor offers better terms, or you decide to become your own RIPE NCC member, we remove our mnt-by, transfer the sponsorship agreement to the new party and hand over cleanly. No exit fees.
Will you support me at the annual RIPE audit?
Yes. Annual audit correspondence is part of every sponsorship. We answer RIPE Registry Services' questions about your resource usage, produce assignment documentation if sub-allocations are involved, and escalate to you only if a question needs your direct input.
What if the old LIR has stopped responding?
RIPE NCC has an established process for abandoned LIRs. We can co-petition RIPE to recover the sponsorship if the outgoing LIR is non-responsive for more than the policy window. It adds a few weeks but the resources are never lost.
Do you sponsor PI (Provider Independent) assignments?
Yes. PI IPv6 and PI ASN sponsorship follow the same workflow as PA sponsorship. PI resources come with slightly different RIPE obligations (no sub-assignment), which we handle.
Can you sponsor legacy (pre-RIPE-policy) resources?
Yes. Legacy resources (those allocated before RIPE's current policy framework) can be brought under sponsorship if you wish, or left outside of it. We advise on the trade-offs; many legacy holders benefit from a sponsor for compliance and audit support without any policy downside.

Trusted By & Member Of

We are proud members of leading internet infrastructure organizations.

RIPE NCC MANRS PeeringDB RoTLD DSIX SBIX 4IXP LOCIX Euro-IX RIPE NCC MANRS PeeringDB RoTLD DSIX SBIX 4IXP LOCIX Euro-IX