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Guidelines - Transfers of Internet Number Resources

This is an overview of how to request a transfer of Internet number resources. ARIN is responsible for managing resource transfers for all organizations within its geographic region, regardless of whether ARIN or its predecessor provided the original resource delegation. Organizations that obtained address space from an upstream provider should contact their provider for transfer of addresses.

Registrations of Internet number resources delegated by ARIN or its predecessor, such as AS numbers and IP address blocks, are not transferable or assignable to any other organization, unless ARIN has expressly approved a request for transfer in writing. ARIN is tasked with making prudent decisions on whether to approve the transfer of number resources.

Requesting the Transfer of Number Resources

Step 1 - Requirements

Review ARIN's transfer policies to ensure your request meets the requirements. Requesting a transfer of resources from ARIN indicates you have read and agree to abide by these policies.

Qualifying events for the transfer of resources registered with ARIN between organizational entities can include mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, or organizational name changes.

To request a transfer of Internet number resources, your organization must first have established Point of Contact (POC) handles and an Organization Identifier (Org ID) with ARIN. Additional information about creating and managing POCs and Org IDs is available in ARIN's Guidelines for Managing Organization and Contact Identifiers.

Once the POCs and Org ID are registered in the ARIN database, complete and submit the Transfer Request template.Ideally, resource transfer requests should be sent from the Admin or Tech POC registered with the Org ID of the organization currently associated with the resources being transferred. However, requests can come from any individual associated with either of the organizations in question, as justification for the request is made through documentation supplied to ARIN.

Step 2 - Completing the Template

Your organization must establish justification for the request. Justification can be made by meeting the requirements listed below.

ARIN considers requests for the transfer of Internet number resources only upon receipt of evidence that the new entity has acquired the assets which had, as of the date of the acquisition or proposed reorganization, justified the current entity’s use of the resources. Some examples include:

  • Existing customer base that utilizes some or all of the resource in question
  • Qualified hardware inventory
  • Specific software requirements

Documentation requirements

ARIN requires legal documentation from the requesting organization to include any of the following:

  • An authenticated copy of the instrument(s) affecting the transfer of assets (bill of sale, certificates of merger, contract, deed, or court decree)
  • A detailed inventory of all assets utilized by the requesting party in maintaining and using the Internet number resources: Existing customer base that utilizes some or all of the resources, qualified hardware inventory, and specific software requirements
  • A list of the requesting party's customers that used portions of the resource

Instructions for completing and submitting the template are provided at the bottom of the document. To ensure prompt and accurate processing of your Transfer Request Template, follow these instructions exactly. Any errors found may result in the template being returned for correction.

Step 3 - Submittal of Template and Auto Response

Upon successfully submitting the template, ARIN verifies its receipt of the request and issues a ticket number via e-mail to the individual who submitted the request. Based on the volume of requests, this may take up to 60 minutes.

Step 4 - Review Process

ARIN reviews and responds to a resource request within three (3) business days.

The response may include a request for additional information. For each question and response cycle, ARIN responds within three (3) business days. If ARIN does not receive a response within ninety (90) days, the ticket is considered closed and the request must be resubmitted. A response from ARIN requesting additional documentation or information does not imply a request will be denied; it simply means that additional information is needed to evaluate the request.

For questions about requests, communicate via e-mail to hostmaster@arin.net or call ARIN's Registration Services Help Desk at +1.703.227.0660. When contacting the Help Desk, have appropriate ticket numbers and other request documentation readily available, and have access to the ARIN website. In follow-up communication, supply the name of the ARIN Help Desk Resource Analyst that provided previous assistance. Click here for additional guidance on calling the Help Desk.

Step 5 - Request Approval

ARIN notifies your organization, via e-mail to the individual who submitted the request, whether the request was approved or not. The approval is good for ninety (90) days. If your organization does not follow up on the approval within that time, you must resubmit the request.

If a request is rejected and you feel that it has the proper justification for receiving the requested resource, you may contact ARIN to further explain its position.

Approval is contingent on ARIN having received and reviewed all requested supporting documentation, and the organizations involved having no outstanding invoices with ARIN sixty (60) days beyond the due date. The requesting organization must also agree to the same conditions the original organization agreed to when the resources were issued or that are currently in effect.

Step 6- Fee Payment and Registration Services Agreement

As outlined in ARIN's Fee Schedule, any entities receiving transferred Internet number resources by virtue of an organization name change, merger, acquisition, or other approved change will be charged a transfer fee to cover the administrative costs associated with processing the transfer. If an entity transfers both IP address space and ASNs, it will not be charged for the transfer of ASNs. Additional fee and payment information is available in the Billing section.

ARIN does not accept purchase orders as the equivalent of payment and payment information is not accepted by phone. The approval of a request can be dependent on the billing status of the Org ID in question. Outstanding fees due to ARIN must be paid before additional resources are allocated.

Submission of Signed Registration Services Agreement (RSA)

All applicants requesting resources from ARIN are required to sign the Registration Services Agreement (RSA). The RSA must be signed and returned before ARIN allocates resources. The RSA cannot be altered or modified. If the organization already has a signed RSA on file with ARIN, a new one is not needed unless the request for resources will be issued under a new Org ID. Organizations may fax a signed, but otherwise unaltered, RSA to +1.703.227.0671. ARIN requests that the organization also forward two (2) signed originals via postal mail to:

ARIN
Attention: Financial Services Department
3635 Concorde Parkway, Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 20151

Submission of Payment

When completing ARIN's online billing forms, organizations may choose between two payment options:

Immediate online payment by credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa)

If payment is by credit card, an automatic receipt is e-mailed to the organization, along with instructions on how to download the Registration Services Agreement (RSA).

Receive an invoice for payment by check or wire transfer

For organizations choosing to receive an invoice, ARIN sends an invoice within three (3) business days and instruction on how to download the Registration Services Agreement (RSA). For instructions to send payment by wire transfer, call +1.703.227.9886 or e-mail billing@arin.net.  For wire instructions by e-mail, include the ARIN ticket or invoice number, the organization name, and Org ID. For payments by check, send payment to:

American Registry for Internet Numbers
P. O. Box 79010
Baltimore, Maryland  21279-0010

Step 7- Transfer Completion

ARIN will complete the resource transfer within two (2) business days of ARIN's receipt of any applicable fees and a signed RSA. ARIN membership, associated with the Org ID holding an allocation of IP address space, is terminated when the address space is transferred to another entity or returned to ARIN. On the day the transfer process is complete, membership and the accompanying voting rights are transferred to the entity acquiring the address space.

As membership is open to all interested parties, any organization or individual may become a member of ARIN by completing a Membership Application Form and paying an annual membership fee.

Managing Transferred Resources

Organization and Contact Identifiers

To ensure efficient and accurate processing, promptly update Org ID and POC records after any change. Additional information about Org IDs and POCs is available in ARIN's Guidelines for Managing Organization and Contact Identifiers.

Responsibility to Maintain Records

The receipt of transferred resources is accompanied by the responsibility to properly maintain records with ARIN. This includes the Org ID and POC information mentioned above, and includes any responsibilities relevant to the transferred resources in question. For example, organizations that have received the transfer of a direct allocation of IP address space from ARIN must follow all ARIN requirements for reassigning that space, reporting reassignment information, maintaining IN-ADDRs, and any other requirements listed in ARIN's policies, guidelines, or Registration Services Agreement.

Annual Renewal and Maintenance Fees

Maintenance Fees

ARIN assesses a single consolidated annual maintenance fee to each Org ID for certain resources registered with it. This single fee covers all ASNs, end-user assignments, and transfers registered with ARIN per Org ID. This fee is due on the anniversary date of the organization's first resource registration associated with the Org ID.

ISPs that are current ARIN subscription holders are not charged the annual maintenance fee.

Annual Renewal for Transferred Allocations

All organizations that have received the transfer of an allocation of IP address space will be charged an annual subscription renewal fee. For organizations with prior IP address allocations from ARIN, the transferred block will be added to its existing allocations and will be invoiced on the anniversary date of its initial allocation from ARIN. If an organization has not previously received an allocation of IP address space from ARIN, an annual subscription fee will be assessed on the anniversary date of the transfer based on the size of the address block.

An organization may submit payment by credit card using ARIN's ISP Anniversary Payment Form and entering its invoice number, organization name, name of its billing Point of Contact, and the total size of its allocations from ARIN.

Additional information about ARIN's fees is available on the Fee Schedule and in the Billing Section of the ARIN website.