ARIN guide

The ARIN IPv4 waiting list, explained

ARIN ran out of freely available IPv4 addresses on September 24, 2015. Since then, the only general-purpose IPv4 space ARIN hands out comes from its waiting list, which is refilled as addresses come back to ARIN.

This guide covers who can join the list, how big a block you can get, how distributions work, the rules that come with waiting list space, and how the list compares with buying a block on the transfer market.

ARIN Qualified Facilitator Checked against ARIN sources November 9, 2026

In short

What it is: ARIN's queue of approved IPv4 requests it can't fill yet. ARIN issues IPv4 only from this list, apart from two special-purpose pools (NRPM 4.1.8).
Size limits: at most a /22 (1,024 addresses) at a time and as little as a /24. Organizations holding more than a /20 in total can't apply.
Order: first approved, first filled, as returned space becomes available. Requests are never partly filled, and turning down a block counts as filled.
Strings attached: waiting list space can't be transferred for 60 months (except in a merger or acquisition), and you wait 90 days before applying again.
2026 so far: ARIN filled 149, 67, 307 and 483 requests in its January, April, July and October distributions. The next is on or about January 4, 2027 (ARIN).

Who can get on the list

A waiting list request is an ordinary IPv4 request to ARIN. Since NRPM 2024.1, ARIN evaluates every waiting list request against the normal Section 4 requirements (NRPM 4.1.8.3). In short (ARIN: Request IPv4 Addresses):

ISPs with no IPv4 addresses from ARIN automatically qualify for a /24, and can qualify for more, up to the /22 waiting list maximum, by documenting how they will use it.
End-user organizations qualify for ARIN's minimum assignment (a /24) or more by showing they will use at least 50% of the requested block within 24 months.

Four things rule an organization out, or delay it:

Holding more than a /20. Organizations with more than a /20 of IPv4 in aggregate, not counting special-purpose space from NRPM 4.4 or 4.10, are not eligible (NRPM 4.1.8).
Selling recently. An organization that transferred IPv4 addresses to another party under 8.3 or 8.4 can't apply for 36 months afterwards (NRPM 8.3, 8.4).
Receiving IPv4 recently. After receiving a waiting list distribution or any transfer, an organization waits 90 days before applying for more. ARIN can waive this if circumstances have changed in a way that could not reasonably have been foreseen.
Leasing as the reason. ARIN says an intention to lease addresses, or utilization based on addresses you lease out, is not justification for IPv4 from the waiting list or the transfer market (ARIN, 2023). See lease vs buy IPv4.

How the waiting list works, step by step

Apply in ARIN Online. You request a block size you can justify (up to a /22) and name the smallest block you would accept, down to a /24. You can lower the minimum later but not raise the maximum (ARIN).
ARIN approves and places the request. Your position is set by the date and time of approval. Each organization can have one request on the list (NRPM 4.1.8.1).
Returned space builds up. Addresses are returned to ARIN or revoked, most often for non-payment (ARIN). ARIN lists the blocks it has used for the waiting list since 2020 on its IPv4 Addresses Cleared for Waiting List page.
ARIN distributes. In 2026 distributions came once a quarter. ARIN fills requests in approval order, subject to the size of each available block, and may re-check the original request first. A request is never partly filled (NRPM 4.1.8.2).
You accept and sign. You must be current on all ARIN fees when a block becomes available. ARIN asks for a Registration Services Agreement and any applicable fees. Declining the block counts as fulfilled, and the request is removed.
The rules that follow. The space can't be transferred to another organization for 60 months except under 8.2, and you wait 90 days before applying for more.

Waiting list distributions in 2026

Source: ARIN's distribution announcements. "Blocks used" is the number of blocks on ARIN's cleared list for that round; blocks are split to fit requests, so the two columns don't match one-to-one.
Distribution	Requests filled	Blocks used
January 13, 2026	149	59
April 2, 2026	67	40
July 2, 2026	307	199
October 7, 2026	483	577

That is 1,006 requests filled in 2026, against a /22 maximum per request. How many requests ARIN can fill in a round depends entirely on how much space has come back, which is why the April round filled 67 and the October round 483. ARIN's waiting list page shows the requests still open. ARIN notes that the table doesn't show the order in which requests will be filled, so treat it as a rough indication only.

ARIN's announcements also note that blocklist entries made against these blocks under a previous holder are most likely no longer valid (ARIN). Even so, check a block you receive against the major blocklists: see blacklist screening.

The waiting list vs buying a block

Sources: NRPM 4.1.8, 8.3, 8.5, ARIN fee schedule. The transfer timeline is IPv4 Depot's experience, not an ARIN figure.
	ARIN waiting list	Buying (8.3 transfer)
Most you can get	A /22 at a time	What you can justify: a first /24 needs no justification; more needs a plan to use 50% within 24 months
Who can apply	Organizations holding a /20 or less in total	Any organization that qualifies under NRPM 8.5
When you get it	When returned space reaches your place in the queue; no fixed time	ARIN transfer: in IPv4 Depot's experience, typically 7–10 business days when both parties move promptly, after any pre-approval
Which block	Whichever block ARIN allocates	You choose the block, and can screen it before you sign
Cost	No purchase price; ARIN's agreement and annual fees	Purchase price, ARIN's recipient fee (from $187.50 for a /24) and annual fees
Selling it later	Not for 60 months (except 8.2)	Allowed once 12 months have passed since you last received IPv4

When the waiting list makes sense

You need a /22 or less and have no fixed date.
You hold a /20 or less and haven't sold IPv4 in the last 36 months.
You won't need to sell or move the addresses for at least five years.

When buying is the better route

You have a launch, customer or grant date to meet.
You need more than a /22, or already hold more than a /20.
You want to choose and check the exact block before you commit.
You might restructure, sell assets or move addresses within five years.

The two can run side by side: ARIN tells waiting list applicants about the transfer option (NRPM 4.1.8), and an ARIN pre-approval stays valid for 24 months. But completing a transfer removes your waiting list request, so decide which you want before a purchase closes.

Buying instead of waiting, with IPv4 Depot

IPv4 Depot is an ARIN Qualified Facilitator. If the waiting list doesn't fit your timeline or size, we can source a block from a /24 to a /15, screen it against Spamhaus, Barracuda and SpamCop plus proxy-detection databases, and handle the transfer with payment by escrow or direct invoice.

ARIN waiting list FAQ

What is the ARIN IPv4 waiting list?

It is the queue ARIN uses for IPv4 requests it has approved but cannot fill from its own inventory. ARIN's free pool ran out in September 2015, and ARIN now issues IPv4 addresses only from the waiting list, apart from two special-purpose pools (NRPM 4.4 for critical infrastructure and exchange points, and 4.10 for IPv6 deployment). The list is refilled with addresses that are returned to ARIN or revoked, most often for non-payment.

How many IPv4 addresses can I get from the ARIN waiting list?

At most a /22 (1,024 addresses) at any one time, and as little as a /24 (256 addresses). When you apply, you also name the smallest block you would accept. You can lower that minimum later, but you cannot raise the maximum; for a larger block you close your request and apply again, which puts you at the back of the list.

Who is not eligible for the ARIN waiting list?

Organizations that already hold more than a /20 of IPv4 in total (not counting special-purpose space from NRPM 4.4 or 4.10) cannot apply. An organization that transferred IPv4 addresses to another party under NRPM 8.3 or 8.4 cannot apply for 36 months afterwards. Each organization can have only one request on the list at a time, and the request must meet ARIN's normal IPv4 qualification rules.

How long is the wait on the ARIN waiting list?

There is no fixed wait. ARIN fills requests in the order they were approved, but only as returned address space becomes available, and a request is only filled with a block between its minimum and maximum size. In 2026 ARIN filled 149 requests in January, 67 in April, 307 in July and 483 in October, and says the next distribution will be on or about January 4, 2027. ARIN's waiting list page shows the current queue.

Can I sell IPv4 addresses I received from the ARIN waiting list?

Not for 60 months. Address space distributed from the waiting list cannot be transferred to another organization for five years, except through an 8.2 transfer (a merger, acquisition or reorganization).

What happens to my waiting list request if I buy IPv4 addresses?

Receiving IPv4 addresses through an 8.3 or 8.4 transfer removes your request from the waiting list, and you cannot apply to the waiting list again for 90 days. The same 90-day wait applies after your request is filled from the list.

What if I turn down the block ARIN offers?

ARIN treats the request as fulfilled and removes it from the list. ARIN also requires you to be current on all fees when a block becomes available; an organization with past-due fees stays on the list but cannot receive addresses until it pays.

Does the ARIN waiting list cost anything?

There is no purchase price: the addresses come from ARIN. When a block becomes available, ARIN asks for a signed Registration Services Agreement and any registration fees that apply, and you then pay ARIN's annual Registration Services Plan fee, which depends on your total holdings (for example $550 a year in 2026 for holdings above a /24 up to a /22).

Sources

Registry facts on this page come from ARIN's own documents, checked on November 9, 2026. Registry policies and fees change; where this page and the registry differ, the registry is right.

Can't wait for the waiting list?

Tell us how many addresses you need and by when, and we'll give you a clear quote for a transfer.

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