ASPA status check: publishable at most RIRs, still not an RFC

What changed

In a 9 September 2026 explainer, LACNIC's Chief Technology Strategist Carlos Martínez pointed out that ASPA is not yet an RFC: its two core documents remain Internet-Drafts in the IETF SIDROPS Working Group. Validators such as FORT, Routinator and rpki-client already process ASPA objects, and a growing number of RIRs let holders publish them, but details may still change, particularly in the validation algorithm.

IETF Datatracker showed both core drafts in Working Group Last Call in late July: the ASPA profile (revision -29, dated 29 July 2026) and ASPA-based AS_PATH verification (revision -27, dated 20 July 2026). The RPKI-to-Router protocol version 2 draft (8210bis), which carries ASPA data to routers, was also in Working Group Last Call.

Update - 30 October 2026

Checked on 30 October, both core drafts are still active Internet-Drafts. The ASPA profile is revision -30, last updated 29 October 2026. ASPA-based AS_PATH verification is revision -29, last updated 16 October 2026. Datatracker lists both as "WG Consensus: Waiting for Write-Up." That is not RFC publication, and it does not add a new router requirement. A version-number change on its own is not a separate news story.

The NRO RPKI Program has committed all five RIRs to supporting ASPA by the end of 2026.

Update - 5 November 2026

The ASPA profile was submitted to the IESG on 3 November (document history), followed by the verification draft on 4 November (document history). Datatracker now shows both in area-director evaluation (Submitted to IESG for Publication, with substate AD Evaluation::Revised I-D Needed). Neither is an RFC. The current revisions remain profile -30 and verification -29; publication and deployment decisions remain separate.

Why it matters for BYOIP teams

Publishing ASPA objects and enforcing ASPA validation on routers are separate decisions. Holders can publish now where their RIR supports it; operators deciding whether to drop ASPA-invalid routes should follow the drafts to RFC status, since the verification rules are the part most likely to change.

What to check

• Your RIR's ASPA support (RIPE NCC, ARIN and APNIC have it in production; LACNIC and AFRINIC are covered by the end-2026 commitment).
• Validator versions in your network, if you run route validation.
• The SIDROPS mailing list and IETF meeting agendas for progress toward RFC.