RIPE 2025 Waiting List for IPv4: How the Last /22 Works

The RIPE 2025 waiting list for IPv4 addresses may be the most misunderstood mechanism in the whole regional registry system. The RIPE NCC ran out of available IPv4 space back in 2019, and since then organisations across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia have had exactly one route to a free registry allocation: joining a queue for a final /22 allocation of 1,024 addresses. That’s the theory, anyway. Demand keeps outpacing the small amounts of address space returned to the registry, waits stretch into years, and many network operators simply go to the secondary market instead. If you’re an ISP or enterprise planning address space procurement in 2025, you need to know how the list works, who qualifies, and what the alternatives are.

Why the RIPE NCC IPv4 Pool Ran Dry: A Short History

The RIPE NCC started handing out IPv4 addresses under its allocation framework in the 1990s, when the /8 blocks inherited from IANA seemed inexhaustible. They weren’t, of course. Growth exploded through the 2000s — broadband, mobile networks, data centres, all multiplying across the service region. By 14 September 2012 the registry had reached the last /8 in its inventory, which triggered conservative allocation policies restricting new requests to a maximum /22 per Local Internet Registry (LIR).

Even with those restrictions, demand kept draining what was left. On 25 November 2019, the RIPE NCC made its final /22 allocation from the available pool. Formal exhaustion. Since then, the only new allocations come from reclaimed address space: returned or revoked blocks, resources recovered from closed LIRs, space reclaimed through audits. These returns are sporadic and small — often just a few /24s at a time — which is precisely why the waiting list model was introduced, and why it’s still with us in 2025.

RIPE 2025 Waiting List: Eligibility and Sign-Up Requirements

Not everyone can join the queue. You have to meet criteria set by RIPE NCC policy:

• Be an LIR in good standing with the RIPE NCC, or become one by signing a registration agreement and paying annual membership fees — currently somewhere in the range of €1,350 to €1,800 per year depending on category.
• Have never received IPv4 space from the RIPE NCC as the requesting organisation, or show that your previous allocation isn’t enough under documented growth plans.
• Provide documented need — evidence of immediate use for at least part of the /22, backed by infrastructure plans, customer numbers or network diagrams.
• Pay the allocation fee (€50 per allocation under recent fee schedules) once you reach the front of the queue.

Signing up is straightforward. Existing LIRs submit a waiting list request through their LIR Portal account, the RIPE NCC verifies eligibility and confirms your position. One caveat: you cannot transfer or sell your place in the queue, and your organisation has to stay in good standing — fees paid, contract data current — or you risk removal.

How the Last /22 Allocation Process Works, Step by Step

The mechanism itself is deliberately simple. Patience is the price of entry. From end to end:

1. Submit your request via the LIR Portal, confirming you’ve never received a RIPE NCC IPv4 allocation and that you need address space for active use.
2. Receive queue confirmation with your position number. In 2024 and early 2025, queues commonly exceeded 1,000 organisations — which means multi-year waits.
3. Wait for returned space to accumulate. When recovered addresses total at least a /22, the RIPE NCC allocates it to the next eligible organisation in line.
4. Respond to the offer quickly. If your organisation is unreachable or no longer eligible, the space passes to the next candidate and you lose your place. No second chances.
5. Pay fees and register the allocation. The /22 is assigned as a one-time, non-extendable allocation, recorded in the RIPE database and visible in the global routing registry.

One detail worth knowing: the /22 may not be contiguous. The registry can assemble it from smaller recovered blocks, which occasionally affects how cleanly the space can be announced. Given waits of three to five years, many organisations on the queue decide to buy IPv4 space through a broker instead, and marketplaces such as IP4 Market offer verified sellers, escrow-backed transfers and competitive per-address pricing that make acquisition both faster and secure. For those who can wait, though, the last /22 from the RIPE NCC remains a uniquely cheap option — roughly €50, against tens of thousands on the open market. Hard to argue with that maths.

Expected Waiting Times and Position on the RIPE 2025 Waiting List

The RIPE NCC entered its exhaustion phase back in November 2019, and the waiting list has crept along ever since. Nobody hides this: clearing the current backlog is projected to take years. Requests are processed strictly in order, and the RIPE NCC publishes each LIR’s queue position on its website, so at least you can see where you stand. As of 2025, organisations joining the RIPE 2025 waiting list find themselves behind thousands of pending requests. We’re talking years, not months.

What affects your position and your prospects? A few things:

• Queue order: allocations are strictly first-come, first-served. No exceptions, however sympathetic your case may be.
• Returned address space: the list is fed only by returned or reclaimed blocks, and the volume of returns swings from one quarter to the next. Hard to plan around.
• Eligibility checks: each allocation is capped at a /22 (1,024 addresses) per LIR, so larger requirements simply cannot be met through the waiting list. At all.
• LIR status: your membership has to stay active and in good standing the whole time you wait, annual fees settled and paperwork in order.

Practical advice? Request the smallest block you can genuinely justify, keep your LIR documentation current, and keep an eye on the RIPE NCC’s published waiting list statistics. If you need addresses within a business-relevant timeframe, treat the list as a supplementary option. Not your primary strategy.

Alternatives to Waiting: Leasing and Buying IPv4 on the Market

For most network operators, the secondary market delivers addresses far faster than any registry queue ever will. Two models dominate.

Leasing IPv4 addresses

Leasing fits temporary needs: a new service launch, VPN infrastructure, a cloud migration, seasonal capacity spikes. Monthly per-address pricing typically runs from $0.30 to $0.60, depending on block size and contract length, and a lease can often start within days. No capital expenditure involved. And when the term ends, the leasing provider handles the RIR transfer documentation.

Buying IPv4 addresses

Purchasing makes sense when the need is permanent and growing. Prices in 2025 generally sit between $30 and $60 per address, which means a full /22 costs roughly $30,000–$60,000. A legitimate purchase isn’t just a handshake, though. It involves pre-transaction due diligence, an RIR-approved transfer, and verification of clean routing history — skip that last step and you may inherit blacklisting problems you never asked for. IP4 Market simplifies the process by offering verified sellers, escrow-backed transactions, and competitive per-address pricing, so buyers know every block transferred is clean and properly documented.

Conclusion: Should You Join the RIPE Waiting List or Buy IPv4?

Let’s be honest about what the RIPE 2025 waiting list is: a remarkable bargain. A /22 for around €50 is unmatched anywhere in the IPv4 ecosystem. But that value sits locked behind a multi-year wait and a strict 1,024-address cap. It suits LIRs with long planning horizons and modest, predictable address needs. That’s a fairly narrow group.

For organisations that need address space now, the secondary market is the realistic path. Leasing offers speed and flexibility for short-term projects; purchasing delivers a permanent asset at a price that has stayed comparatively stable despite ongoing depletion. Whichever route you take, work with a partner that prioritises due diligence, escrow protection, and verified ownership history.

In short: join the waiting list as a low-cost long shot if you can afford to wait — there’s no reason not to — but secure your operational requirements through the market today. IP4 Market provides a trusted platform for both buying and leasing, with verified sellers and competitive pricing, so you can grow your network without waiting in line.