Sponsoring LIR explained: what changes when you move PI space or an ASN

If your organisation holds Provider Independent (PI) addresses or an Autonomous System Number but isn’t a RIPE NCC member, a sponsoring LIR sits between you and the registry. This article explains what that role covers, what actually changes when you move to a different sponsor, and what to check so the switch doesn’t affect your routing.

What does a sponsoring LIR do?

In the RIPE NCC service region, every holder of independent resources needs a contractual relationship that links those resources to the registry. You can join the RIPE NCC as a member yourself, or sign an agreement with an existing member (an LIR) that sponsors your resources. Holders who don’t want the overhead of membership usually choose a sponsor.

The sponsoring LIR typically:

• holds the contract that keeps your resources validly registered;
• submits requests to the RIPE NCC on your behalf, such as new assignments or changes to registration data;
• verifies your organisation’s identity and helps keep its details current;
• covers any RIPE NCC fees due for the resources it sponsors and invoices you under its own terms;
• appears in the RIPE Database through the sponsoring-org: attribute on your inetnum, inet6num or aut-num object.

Holders of legacy address space can use the same model to formalise their relationship with the RIPE NCC. In every case, the sponsor does not own your resources. Your organisation remains the holder of record.

When is it worth moving?

There is no requirement to stay with the LIR that originally requested your resources. Organisations usually move when:

• the current sponsor is slow to respond or to process changes;
• they want PI space and ASNs consolidated under one provider;
• the sponsor is closing its LIR or leaving the business;
• they need help the current sponsor doesn’t offer, such as RPKI management, BYOIP preparation or reverse DNS delegation.

If your sponsor’s membership ends, your resources need a new contractual home. Don’t wait for that to become urgent, because independent resources without a valid agreement can eventually be deregistered.

What changes, and what stays the same?

Changing sponsor is an administrative move, not a transfer. The resources stay with the same holder, and the move itself doesn’t require any change to how your prefixes are announced. What changes is who you deal with and who can act for you.

Changes	Stays the same
The organisation in the sponsoring-org: attribute	The resource holder of record
Who you sign with and who invoices you	Your prefixes and AS number
Who submits RIPE NCC requests for you	Your BGP sessions and upstream contracts
Where your ROAs are managed, in most set-ups	Maintainer and contact objects you control

If the holder itself is changing, for example after a merger or the sale of a business, that is a different procedure with its own documentation. Don’t mix the two up.

How does a move usually work?

The exact steps follow the current RIPE NCC procedure, so ask your new sponsor to confirm them. In outline:

1. Choose the new sponsor and agree terms, including which services are included beyond basic registration.
2. Sign the new end user agreement. Expect to provide company registration documents and contact details so the new LIR can complete its due diligence.
3. The new sponsor submits the request to the RIPE NCC through its LIR Portal, with the signed agreement.
4. The RIPE NCC reviews it and, once approved, updates the registration so the resources appear under the new sponsor.
5. Clean up the database objects so that only maintainers you trust can change them.
6. Confirm RPKI and routing look exactly as they did before the move.

The registry process is driven by you and the new sponsor. Any notice period or outstanding balance under your old contract is a separate matter between you and the old sponsor, so read that contract before you start.

What should you check before and after?

Problems with a change of sponsor usually come from loose ends in the database or in RPKI, not from the registry process itself.

Before the move

• Read your current agreement for notice periods, renewal dates and termination terms.
• Settle open invoices, as disputes can slow the handover.
• Make sure your organisation object shows your correct legal name and address.
• Check mnt-by: on your resource, route and domain objects. If the old sponsor’s maintainer is the only one with control, ask for yours to be added first.
• Save a list of your current ROAs and route objects to compare against later.

After the move

• Confirm the sponsoring-org: attribute shows the new LIR.
• Check that ROAs exist and still match the origin AS and maximum length you announce. ROAs for sponsored resources are normally managed from the sponsor’s RPKI dashboard, so they may need to be recreated under the new sponsor.
• Verify route validation status from more than one vantage point, for example with RIPEstat and a public looking glass.
• Remove the old sponsor’s maintainer from objects where it no longer belongs.
• Confirm your abuse contact is correct and monitored.

Leaving ROAs to chance is the easiest way for a paperwork change to become a routing problem. If you’re unsure how yours are held, ask both sponsors before anything is submitted.

How TACS can help

TACS is a RIPE NCC member and acts as sponsoring LIR for PI space and ASNs, including taking over sponsorship from another LIR. Our LIR services cover the agreement, the RIPE NCC request, database clean-up and ROA checks, and if you also plan to bring the space to a cloud provider, see BYOIP.