Billing Procedure and Fee Schedule 2017

Introduction

This page outlines the billing and payment procedure for RIPE NCC members. The information below forms an integral part of the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement and is complementary to the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2017.

The RIPE NCC is a not-for-profit membership organisation. RIPE NCC members pay an annual service (membership) fee for each Local Internet Registry (LIR) account they hold, in accordance with the fees determined by the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2016.

2017 Fees for RIPE NCC Members

Fees for Existing Members

The RIPE NCC service fee is charged annually. All RIPE NCC members will be charged an annual fee of EUR 1,400 (fourteen hundred euro) for each LIR account they hold in 2017.

A EUR 50 fee will also apply for each Provider Independent (PI) number resource assigned to or sponsored by the LIR. PI number resources include Provider Independent IPv4 and IPv6 address assignments, anycasting assignments and IXP IPv6 assignments. We calculate the PI number resources assigned to or via your LIR accounts based on the resources held on 30 September 2016.

Multiple PI IPv4 and PI IPv6 assignments made on the same day to the same member will have one single charge of EUR 50.

No sign-up fee is charged to existing members that have paid on time their annual service fee for the LIR account(s) they hold and need to re-sign the “RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement” (for example, in case of an organisation name change).

Fees for New Members

Members are charged a one-time sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 (two thousand euro) for each new LIR account.

The RIPE NCC service fee will be applied pro rata, based on the time of year in which the membership application is submitted.

Fees to Re-activate the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement

In accordance with Article 9.6 of the Standard Service Agreement, if the member wishes to re-activate their RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement, a sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 and all outstanding fees must be paid before this can happen.

Legacy Internet Resource Holder Fees

Legacy Internet resource holders have different options for how they can engage with the RIPE NCC:

• Legacy Internet resource holders can become members of the RIPE NCC. For 2017, a pro rata annual fee of EUR 1,400 (fourteen hundred euro) will apply while the sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 (two thousand euro) will be waived. If, at a later stage, a RIPE NCC member with legacy Internet resources chooses to request Internet number resources from the RIPE NCC, a sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 will be required in order to proceed with the request.
• Legacy Internet resource holders who do not wish to become RIPE NCC members can conclude a separate direct agreement with the RIPE NCC. For 2017, a one-time sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 and a pro rata annual fee of EUR 1,400 will apply.
• Legacy Internet resource holders can register the resources with a sponsoring LIR. An annual EUR 50 fee per legacy Internet resource will apply to the sponsoring LIR. AS Numbers are excluded from this charge.

Transfers

Before they can transfer resources or close their LIR accounts, a member will have to pay the full annual service fee for the year in question for the LIR accounts they hold. Only when the full annual service fee for every LIR account has been paid can the transfer or closure take place.

If a member chooses to close one or more of the LIR accounts they hold in the course of the RIPE NCC financial year, the service fees for the relevant LIR accounts must still be paid in full. If the service fee has already been paid in full, no pro rata refunds will apply.

Invoicing

Members can request to receive their invoices for each LIR account they hold on a yearly, half-yearly or quarterly schedule by contacting the RIPE NCC Billing Department. It is not possible to change payment schedules during the year. Changes to the payment schedule must be requested before 15 December 2016 for the 2017 fees.

At the RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) in October 2016, the General Meeting decided that the excess contribution paid in 2016 would be redistributed to the membership in 2017. The redistribution per member will appear on the invoice as a discount.

For more information about the redistribution please follow the link below:
General Meeting October 2016

To provide clarity and transparency regarding the fees and the redistribution, in early January the RIPE NCC will send an account statement to all members for each LIR account regarding the total fee for 2017. The account statement will include the applicable redistribution amount for 2016.

Each member will receive the invoice(s) for each LIR account they hold based on the payment schedule chosen: one invoice if the payment schedule is set to yearly, two invoices for a half-yearly schedule and four invoices for a quarterly payment schedule.

The invoicing schedule for 2017 is:

*Please note: These dates may alter in the case of bank holidays and/or technical problems.

Invoices are sent to the billing contacts listed in our records for the LIR account. The billing contact details can be viewed and updated on the Billing Details page (requires authentication). Copies of invoices may be downloaded here as well.

To make sure the invoices arrive at the correct email address, the RIPE NCC member is obliged to keep the billing contact details up-to-date. This can be done on the Billing Details page or by contacting the RIPE NCC Billing Department.

Invoices are sent by email in PDF format unless RIPE NCC members have opted to additionally receive a hard copy by postal mail. On the Billing Details page, RIPE NCC members can choose to receive a hard copy of the invoices for their LIR account(s).

All invoices include a unique secure payment link. A copy of the original invoice(s) can be downloaded via this link.

Payment Time Frame

Payment is due 30 days from the date of invoice.

If the RIPE NCC does not receive payment within 60 days of the date of invoice, the RIPE NCC will not approve any Internet number resource requests until the outstanding fee has been paid. The service level of all LIR accounts a member holds will be suspended when invoices are outstanding for longer than 90 days. When a RIPE NCC member fails to make payment within 120 days, the RIPE NCC starts the process of terminating the member's RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement.

Please be aware that after 120 days, the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement will be terminated and all the LIR accounts the RIPE NCC member holds will be closed. The sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 and all the applicable remaining yearly service fee(s) must be paid to re-activate the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement.

Methods of Payment

Members can pay their invoices via a bank transfer or an online payment system. The RIPE NCC uses Adyen, a trusted third party, to process all online payments.

The different payment options available are listed below – please note that certain payment options are not available in every country.

All invoices sent by the RIPE NCC by email (in PDF format) include a unique payment URL. This leads to a payment screen where you can complete your transaction by selecting your payment method:

How to Pay Your Invoice

• Bank transfer
  Invoices may be settled directly with the RIPE NCC by bank transfer. When using a bank transfer, please refer on the transfer to the payment reference mentioned on the invoice (this means the “Customer Number” and invoice number).

• Credit and debit cards
  Select the credit card option to complete payment.

• Paypal

Note:

• Payments should be made in euros.
• Online payments should be made against thefull invoice amount. It is not possible to make partial payments via the online payment system.
• We cannot accept cheques. Any cheques that we receive will be returned to the member's billing address.
• The member is responsible for ensuring that full payment for each LIR account they hold is received by the RIPE NCC by the due date.
• Members should take into consideration the time taken by banks to process payment.

Payment Status

You can view your LIR account(s) details and the payment status of your invoices on the Billing Details page. In addition, by accessing the unique secure payment link on each invoice, you can verify whether your payment has been received once it has been made.

If you have any questions about your invoice or payments, or if you experience trouble using the online payment system, please contact the RIPE NCC Billing Department.