Billing FAQs

1. How can I make payments to the RIPE NCC?

You can pay by credit card or bank transfer.

• Credit card payments:
  Pay online via the email invoice using your credit card.
  
  
• All invoices that we send by email (in .pdf format) include a unique payment URL.
• Click on this when you are online and you will be taken to a screen to complete your credit card payment.
  
• For all credit card payments, we use a reliable and easy-to-use service, hosted by a trusted third party, Docdata Payments.
• You will receive instant verification of payment or non-payment.

Bank Transfer:
When using this option please make sure you include the payment reference: your customer number and your invoice number. This is so we can identify which registry the payment belongs to.

• Payments must be made in euros.
• We cannot accept cheques. Any cheques that we receive will be returned to the registry’s billing address.

These are the RIPE NCC details you will need to complete your payment:

2. What is Docdata Payments?

Docdata payments is the third party that handles all credit card payments (American Express, Master Card and VISA) made to the RIPE NCC. It is a secure and trusted system.

3. Why has my credit card payment been cancelled?
If you get a screen stating that your credit card payment has been cancelled, it could be due to lack of funds on the credit card or an anti-fraud security measure and you should contact your bank/card issuer. It could be an error that you typed into the card details screen. Please check this and re-enter your details. If it is due to an expired payment URL, please contact billing@ripe.net to reset the payment URL.

4. How can I tell if the RIPE NCC received my payment?
You can view your payment status when you log in to the LIR Portal. All outstanding invoices are listed here. If no invoice(s) are listed, this means that there are NO outstanding invoices. You can contact billing@ripe.net if you need further confirmation that we have received your payment.

5. Why does the LIR Portal show that the invoice is still outstanding when I have paid it?
We may have been unable to identify your payment due to an unclear or missing payment reference. This is why we request that you always write your customer and invoice numbers as the payment reference. If you are certain you have paid an invoice, please send us official proof of payment. This can be provided by your bank. Send the official proof of payment, along with all the payment details, your Registry Identifier (RegID), customer number and invoice number to:

• Fax: +31 20 535 4447 or
• Email: billing@ripe.net

6. What happens if I do not pay my invoice on time?
After we send your initial invoice:

• We will send three reminders after 30, 60 and 90 days.
  
• If you fail to pay our invoice within 120 days (after the three reminders), we will close your registry. To reopen, you’ll need to pay the outstanding invoices(s) and a sign-up fee.
  
• We will close your registry permanently if you do not pay us within 150 days (five months) after the initial invoice date.
  

This process is detailed in the RIPE NCC Billing Procedure and Fee Schedule.
Registries in the process of closure, or registries that have been permanently closed, must pay all outstanding amounts (invoices, billing charges and interest) as well as the sign-up fee in order to reopen the registry.

7. Can I have my service fees reimbursed if I cancel my membership?
No. The RIPE NCC service fees are non-refundable. For more information, see article 5.7 in the document “RIPE NCC Articles of Association”.

Please note: If membership ends during the course of the RIPE NCC’s financial year, the full annual fee must still be paid.

8. How does the billing score algorithm calculate my billing category?
The scoring system is based on the Provider Aggregated Internet Number Resource allocations made to a member over time, taking into account all IPv4, IPv6 allocations.
The score of an allocation is calculated by multiplying the scoring unit for that resource (for example, an IPv4 /19 has a scoring unit of 4) by the age of the resource (based on a time function: year of the allocation minus the year 1992).

The total score is the sum of all allocation scores. This score will indicate to us which billing category your registry should be in the following year.

For more information about the calculation of the billing score and the fees, see the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme and the Billing Procedure.

If you need a more detailed overview of how we have calculated your billing score, please refer to the Billing Score Calculation or email billing@ripe.net.

9. Can I change my billing category?
No. Returning resources or requesting additional resources will have no effect on your billing category until the following year, when the scores are recalculated.

10. Can I pay my invoice(s) in installments?
Yes. Invoices are sent annually, unless you request otherwise. It is possible to be billed half-yearly or quarterly and this must be requested before the yearly invoice for the year at issue is sent (before 1 November).

Once a yearly invoice has been issued, it is not possible to be billed half-yearly or quarterly for that year. Requests to be billed half-yearly or quarterly during that year will be applied to the following year.

If you want to pay in installments, please email billing@ripe.net.

11. How can I change my contact details?
If the address for your registry has changed, or if you have a new contact for billing related information, you can update your details using the LIR Portal. You can use the LIR Portal to change your:

• billing address
  
• email address
  
• billing reference (for example your purchase order number)
  

Please note that any amendments to your VAT number cannot be made through the LIR Portal. If you have any questions about your VAT number or need to amend it in our files, send an email to billing@ripe.net