APNIC ordinary IPv4 transfers require recognized source authority and a recipient use plan. The final-pool 103/8 restriction is distinct from ordinary transferred space. Establish whether the parties are direct APNIC account holders or use a National Internet Registry before preparing the request.

Policy snapshot checked 2026-11-08.

Service region and IPv4 supply

APNIC serves the Asia Pacific. Ordinary unrestricted free-pool supply is unavailable; remaining direct delegations are rationed under final-pool policy. Transfer eligibility and direct-pool eligibility are different tests.

Allocation and assignment

Use the account appropriate to the legal entity and its network. In economies served by an NIR, identify which registry handles the account, review and billing. An NIR relationship is not interchangeable with a RIPE-style sponsoring-LIR agreement.

Maintain assignment records and technical contacts alongside the registry account. The organization operating a network and the registered holder can differ, so record both responsibilities explicitly.

Transfer eligibility

/24 for ordinary IPv4 transfers within the region and between RIRs.

The source must be the registered holder and the resource must not be in dispute. Inter-RIR transfers require compatible policy at the counterpart registry. Historical resources and corporate events have specific procedures; do not assume the ordinary route applies to every old registration.

The APNIC Internet Number Resource Policies, section 11 define these routes and their conditions.

Recipient documents and needs assessment

A detailed 24-month use plan; existing holders also supply past utilization and evidence of compliance with previous delegations.

Prepare legal identity and authority evidence, account details, current holdings, assignment history and a deployment schedule. Explain separately what is already in use and what the new resource will supply. Use the needs-justification worksheet to avoid counting the same demand against existing and incoming blocks.

Holding periods and final-pool restrictions

Addresses delegated from the 103/8 free pool cannot be transferred for five years after original delegation, including through M&A. This is not a blanket five-year lock on all APNIC IPv4 space.

Check the delegation history of the exact prefix. A 103/8 address is not enough evidence of the relevant event or eligibility; establish the original final-pool delegation and date. Renaming the transaction a reorganization does not remove that restriction.

Direct-pool limits and waiting-list assumptions

Direct delegations from the final 103/8 pool are limited to a cumulative /23 per eligible account; this is a rationed delegation route, not an unrestricted pool.

A cumulative limit is different from a new /23 entitlement on each application. Existing final-pool receipts count. Verify the account’s direct-delegation history separately from transferred holdings.

Processing and completion

For direct accounts, the transfer is handled through MyAPNIC. Coordinate source and recipient requests, any pre-approval, and the account or NIR review. Do not treat the published response interval for a complete question as an end-to-end delivery promise.

For an outbound inter-RIR transfer, source-side sub-assignment, route and domain objects associated with the transferred resource can be deleted from APNIC’s database. Capture the handover plan before completion and run the post-transfer checks under the new holder.

Fees

AUD 500 sign-up fee, subject to the schedule's exemptions. Resource-based formula; the 2026 IPv4 base is AUD 1,295 with bit factor 1.320. IPv4 and IPv6 are assessed separately and the larger result applies.

For chargeable IPv4 holdings, the calculation is Base Fee × Bit Factor^(log2(total addresses) − 8). Use the total chargeable holding, not only the block in the new request. Compare the result with the IPv6 calculation before determining the annual account fee.

Normally 20% of the annual fee calculated for the transferred resources, paid by the recipient or by the APNIC source for outbound inter-RIR transfers. An initial IPv4 transfer to an account holding no IP addresses is charged the annual fee instead; other exemptions apply.

The APNIC Member Fee Schedule specifies effective-year parameters, economy discounts and exemptions. NIR charges must be checked through the actual account relationship.

Operational pitfalls

• Historical-resource transfers have their own policy path; some conditions differ from ordinary unused-address transfers.
• Current use, proposed use and a live BGP route are different evidence.
• Payment and post-transfer holdings can affect both completion and the next renewal charge.

Use inter-RIR requirements for cross-region cases. Before an IPv4 acquisition involving APNIC, identify the account route, original delegation and recipient plan together.

Frequently asked questions

Is every APNIC IPv4 block locked for five years?

No. The restriction applies to addresses delegated from the 103/8 free pool for five years after original delegation, including transfers through M&A. Establish the block’s actual delegation history.

Does APNIC require existing holders to provide a use plan?

For ordinary transfers, yes. Existing IPv4 holders provide a detailed 24-month plan plus past utilization and evidence of compliance with earlier delegations. Specific historical-resource procedures differ.

Who pays APNIC’s transfer charge?

Normally the recipient pays. For an outbound inter-RIR transfer, the APNIC source pays. An initial IPv4 transfer to an account holding no IP addresses is charged the annual fee instead; the schedule has further exemptions.