Billing Procedure and Fee Schedule 2016

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 2016.

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 2015.

2016 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 2016.

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 2015.

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.

Members will have to pay the full annual service fee for the year in question for the LIR account(s) they hold before they can transfer resources or close their LIR account(s). Only when the full annual service fee for every LIR account has been paid can the transfer or closure take place.

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 2016, apro 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.
• Legacy Internet resource holders who do not wish to become RIPE NCC members can conclude a separate direct agreement with the RIPE NCC. For 2016, a one-time sign-up fee of EUR 2,000 and apro 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.

Invoicing

Members can request to receive their invoices for each LIR account they hold on a yearly, half-yearly or quarterly schedule by emailing 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 2015 for the 2016 fees.

At the RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) in November 2015, the General Meeting decided that the excess contribution paid in 2015 would be redistributed (rebated) to the membership in 2016. The rebate will appear on the invoice as a discount.

To provide clarity and transparency regarding the fees and the rebate, in early January the RIPE NCC will send an account statement to all members for each LIR account regarding the total fee for 2016. The account statement will include the applicable rebate amount for 2015.

For more information about the rebate and account statement, please follow the links below:
General Meeting November 2015

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 2016 is:

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

Please also note that:

• If a member chooses to close one or more of the LIR account(s) they hold in the course of the RIPE NCC financial year, the service fee(s) for the relevant LIR account(s) must still be paid in full. If the service fee has already been paid in full, no pro rata refunds will apply.
• For any resource transfer request in which a member transfers their last IPv4 resources from one LIR account to another one, including in cases where the transfer is happening between LIR accounts belonging to the same member, this transfer is only possible if the member has no outstanding invoices and has paid the full annual service fee for the year at issue.

Invoices are sent to the billing contacts listed in our records for the LIR account. The billing contact details can be viewed and updated via the LIR Portal. Copies of invoices may be downloaded via the LIR Portal.

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 via the LIR Portal 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. Via the LIR Portal, 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 a trusted third party to process the online payments. Until 31 October 2016, Docdata Payments was used for online payments of invoices. As of 1 November 2016, online payments will be facilitated via Adyen.

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 when you log in to the LIR Portal. 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.