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ARIN’s IPv4 free pool reached zero on September 24, 2015. Since then, every acquisition has depended on either the ARIN IPv4 Waiting List or a transfer under NRPM 8.3, for intra-region deals, and 8.4, for inter-RIR deals.
The market now works like a regulated secondary asset market. Safe buyers and sellers use policy-compliant counterparties, reputable brokers or marketplaces, neutral escrow, and technical due diligence before money or control changes hands.
Start with the hard rules. ARIN transfers a minimum of /24, and recipients must meet NRPM 8.5 needs-based criteria. That means showing efficient use of current space and at least 50% utilization of the requested space within 24 months. Inter-RIR transfers work with RIPE, APNIC, and LACNIC where reciprocal policies exist. AFRINIC ratified a transfer policy in February 2026, but ARIN still lists it as unapproved for reciprocity, so check status when you negotiate.
Reserved IPv4 Address Blocks: Why Some Space Cannot Be Traded
Some IPv4 space may appear tradable yet remain ineligible under ARIN policy.
Not every block is marketable, and missing that fact can kill a deal after weeks of diligence. ARIN maintains special-purpose pools reserved for narrow technical roles that cannot be transferred through ordinary commercial channels.
NRPM 4.4 micro-allocations serve critical infrastructure such as internet exchange points, root DNS, and country-code domain operators. NRPM 4.10 allocations support IPv6 transition services such as dual-stack DNS and NAT64 translators, which let IPv6-only systems reach IPv4 services. Both categories can be as small as /24, but neither is transferable under NRPM 8.3 or 8.4.
When you screen a seller’s block, ask for a written statement that the space did not originate from 4.4 or 4.10. Then confirm the origin through ARIN RDAP, the public registry record, and any related ARIN ticket history. Your purchase agreement should also include warranties, indemnity, and a clear remedy if the block turns out to be ineligible after filing.
ISP Allocations: How Tradable Blocks Typically Reach The Market
Most good inventory comes from holders that can prove clean registration rights and clean operating history.
Tradable IPv4 space usually starts as an ISP allocation or a legacy registration. A safe deal shows an unbroken chain of control from the current holder back through ARIN records, plus evidence that the block has not been quietly reassigned, pledged, or routed by someone else.
ARIN makes important distinctions. Allocations go to ISPs for reassignment. Assignments go to end users. Legacy blocks predate ARIN itself. The seller must be the registered holder with the right Org ID authority to transfer. A downstream customer using provider-assigned space, even if listed in SWIP reassignment records, cannot sell that space.
- Match RDAP Org and point-of-contact records to the seller’s exact legal entity.
- Review SWIP and rWHOIS history for hidden sub-delegations or stale downstream records.
- Confirm there are no disputes, liens, or old letters of authorization, or LOAs, still in circulation.
- Check IRR, the Internet Routing Registry, and prefer registry-authenticated sources where available.
- If you are buying a subset of a larger aggregate, set a renumbering deadline so both parties do not announce overlapping routes.
Pre-Market Due Diligence: Ownership And Reputation
Clear ownership and usable reputation matter as much as price.
Before you sign a letter of intent, or LOI, close two gating risks. First, verify ownership. ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, or LACNIC RDAP should show the seller as registrant, and the legal entity should match the contract party. For legacy blocks, confirm RSA or LRSA status so the transfer framework is clear.
Second, test technical fitness. Check the block against major DNS-based blocklists such as Spamhaus SBL, PBL, and XBL. Review BGP, the routing system that announces IP reachability, to confirm the block is not still originated elsewhere. Check RPKI, or Resource Public Key Infrastructure, so old ROAs, route origin authorizations, do not lock the space to the seller’s ASN after closing. Plan to publish a geofeed, a text file defined in RFC 8805 that helps geolocation providers map IP space, at close.
If these checks fail, pause. Clearing blacklists and stale routing objects after closing can take weeks, and that delay can erase the value of a fast purchase.
Policy, Legal, And Operational Safeguards
Process discipline is what turns an approved transfer into a safe one.
Pre-approval under NRPM 8.5 should happen before you shop. ARIN also applies frequency limits, usually about every six months, so time your request carefully. For inter-RIR transfers under NRPM 8.4, verify the live reciprocity matrix on ARIN’s site instead of relying on a stale broker note or an old policy summary.
Use neutral escrow with stepwise milestones: signed bill of sale, registry approval, successful RDAP update, then payment release. Escrow.com supports IPv4 transactions and adds KYC and funds-flow controls. Screen counterparties against OFAC SDN lists and keep the search record. Your agreement should cover clean title, blacklist and BGP disclosure, seller help with ROA and IRR cleanup, timeline service levels, and remedies if the registry rejects the filing.
Also set the handoff clock in writing. The buyer should know when seller LOAs end, when new ROAs go live, and when upstream providers are told to accept the new origin.
End-User Assignments: Differences For Non-ISP Buyers
End-user buyers can acquire space safely when they can document real internal need and a credible deployment plan.
Non-ISP buyers still use transfers, but their justification is different. ARIN expects the space to support internal operations such as VPN gateways, NAT pools, load balancers, on-prem hosts, or colocation workloads, not resale or broad downstream reassignment.
Build a 24-month subnet plan with device counts, service rollout dates, and diagrams that tie each subnet to a business use. Make sure you can sign an RSA or LRSA, budget for ARIN fees, and show how the space will be routed, whether through your own ASN, an autonomous system number, or through a provider’s BGP service.
Keep exports from your IPAM, or IP address management system, because they double as ARIN evidence. If your forecast shows a /22 need but your records only support a /24, expect questions and delay until the numbers line up.
Submitting Your Request: Executing A Safe Buy Or Sell Transfer
A safe close depends on a tight sequence, not just a signed bill of sale.
When you reach the seller-identification stage, compare curated marketplaces that screen listings, check counterparty reputation, and support escrow or wire settlement so the deal stays aligned with ARIN, RIPE, and APNIC transfer workflows before forms are filed or funds move, which is why many buyers review marketplace options such as IPv4 Connect for clean inventory ranging from /24 up to /12 blocks.
Treat the transfer like an asset closing with day-two network tasks already scheduled. From the buyer’s side, the cleanest sequence looks like this.
- Secure ARIN pre-approval as the recipient under NRPM 8.5.
- Identify a seller and set payment terms and escrow. If you want a curated marketplace with fixed pricing, reputation checks, and escrow or wire settlement, evaluate vetted channels that align with ARIN, RIPE, and APNIC transfer workflows.
- Open escrow and exchange the bill of sale and the required RIR transfer forms.
- The seller files the transfer request. The buyer references pre-approval, and both sides answer registry evidence requests quickly.
- After approval, release payment and confirm that the registry updates Org and point-of-contact records.
- Post-close, publish new ROAs, update IRR objects, withdraw seller LOAs, monitor BGP and email deliverability, and publish a geofeed.
Sellers should run a parallel checklist. Prove authority through RDAP, disclose blacklist and BGP history, keep routing stable until handoff, assist with object cleanup, and confirm again that the block did not originate from a reserved pool.
Keep a small closing binder with the signed bill of sale, escrow receipt, ARIN approval emails, final RDAP screenshots, and post-close task log. That record helps if a route dispute, payment question, or audit appears later.
Out-of-Region Use And Cross-RIR Considerations
Cross-border deals can work, but only when both registries’ rules line up on the day you file.
ARIN allows out-of-region use when the recipient maintains a real and substantial connection to the ARIN service region. Inter-RIR transfers under NRPM 8.4 require compatible, reciprocal policies on both sides. Today ARIN supports transfers with RIPE, APNIC, and LACNIC. AFRINIC’s 2026 ratified policy is progress, but confirm live reciprocity before you structure any ARIN-to-AFRINIC transaction.
For cross-RIR deals, match company names and IDs exactly across registries. Align time zones and holiday calendars before filing so ticket cycles do not stall. Script both sides’ ROA and IRR updates for same-day execution, because a clean registry transfer can still fail operationally if routing changes drift by a day or two.
Pricing context: the IPv4 address market peaked near $60 per IP in 2021, corrected to about $30 to $40 per IP in 2024, and by April 2026 large blocks such as /16s dipped below $20 per IP while smaller /24s still carried premiums. ARIN waiting-list distributions arrive in batches, so treat them as opportunistic, not as a plan of record.
A compliant transfer backed by escrow, sanctions screening, documented ownership, reputation checks, and a day-two routing plan usually closes in two to three weeks with a fully managed provider, though registry response times can extend this depending on the counterparties.
If timing matters, keep a backup list of acceptable sizes and price bands. Waiting-list space can help, but it should never replace a live transfer strategy.
