April 9, 2020

Understanding Intra-RIR AFRINIC IPv4 Transfer Process

AFRINIC or African Network Information Centre is Regional Internet Registry for Africa. Therefore, if you need to buy IPv4 address blocks in the region, then you must adhere to the Intra-RIR transfer policy of AFRINIC. This is to ensure that you have a valid need for the IPv4 addresses and are not overstocking. Below is a quick look at the AFRINIC IPv4 transfer process.

AFRINIC IPv4 Transfer Process

You can buy IPv4 address blocks from any legitimate IPv4 resource holder in the AFRINIC service region who is not using the IPv4 resources. However, there are some policy conditions, which have to be fulfilled before you can submit a transfer request. Moreover, you will also have to explain reasonable needs for the IPv4 address blocks for your organization. It can be a bit complicated for some, so it will be wiser to hire an IPv4 broker for the trade if you do not know how to proceed.

To start the trade, you will need to apply for an AFRINIC resource membership. After that, you can request for the IPv4 transfer through the recommended platform. You will have to mention the number of IPv4 address blocks that you wish to buy as well as the details of the seller. The party selling the IPv4 address blocks will be notified of the transfer request put forth by you. When they acknowledge, AFRINIC will evaluate the IPv4 transfer request and see if it meets all their criteria.

Note that both the buyer and the seller should be in good standing to be eligible for the transfer. Besides, the seller should be the current legal holder of the IPv4 address blocks and should not be involved in any dispute related to the IPv4 addresses. Additionally, the seller should not have transferred, allocated, or assigned AFRINIC IPv4 number resources in the past 12 months to qualify for the trade.

You, as the buyer, should be able to justify and demonstrate your IPv4 resource needs and usage according to the AFRINIC policies. In addition, you will also need to sign the Registration Services Agreement for the IPv4 resources to be received. Both you and the seller will have to sign the Intra-RIR AFRINIC IPv4 transfer application form as well. You can do that during the time when AFRINIC is evaluating your transfer request.

After the evaluation, you and the seller will have to sign the latest Registration Service Agreement and pay all applicable fees for the transfer. After the trade is done, the IPv4 legacy resources will not be considered as legacy resources anymore.