RIPE NCC restricts the acquisition of additional LIR accounts

The RIPE NCC published a notice restricting the acquisition of additional Local Internet Registry (LIR) accounts. The current notice is dated 30 September 2026, following an original staff article dated 29 September 2026, and the restriction applies with effect from 29 September 2026.

What changed

Under the announced restriction, members can no longer acquire additional LIR accounts. The notice states that pending requests are covered by the restriction.

Existing accounts are not ordered closed or consolidated. No later reversal of the restriction was visible in the RIPE NCC news hub when checked on 19 October 2026.

Why it matters for BYOIP teams

Organisations holding or acquiring number resources in the RIPE NCC service region sometimes structure holdings across multiple LIR accounts for administrative, business-unit or leasing reasons. A restriction on acquiring additional LIR accounts affects acquisition planning and corporate structuring when expanding registry footprints, even though existing LIR accounts remain open.

Our guide on who actually owns an IP address explains how registry account structure relates to address stewardship and cloud BYOIP validation.

What to check

• Review any in-progress or planned applications that assumed opening or acquiring an additional LIR account, as pending requests are covered from 29 September.
• Confirm that existing LIR accounts do not require emergency consolidation under this notice; existing accounts are not ordered closed.
• Follow the October 2026 General Meeting and RIPE NCC member updates for any related governance or fee discussions.