This article is a comprehensive guide to obtaining your Apple Developer Account, which is required for publishing your Studio/Enterprise Custom Branded App. Enrolling in the Apple Developer Program is mandatory for all businesses that want to publish an iOS (Apple) app. The cost to enroll in the Apple Developer Program is a $99 (USD) annual publisher fee charged by Apple.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your business MUST be recognized as a legal entity (e.g., corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company) to enter into the legal terms and obligations of Apple Developer Program agreements. DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names, and branches are not accepted.
If you already have your Apple Developer Account set up, skip to Next Steps After Enrollment.
Requirements to Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
You will need the following to enroll in the Apple Developer Program:
1. An Apple device:
- Required to complete Apple's two-factor authentication process.
- Apple requires Developer Account Holders to sign in using two-factor authentication.
- Two-factor authentication is built directly into iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Apple websites which all require an Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9 and later, or a Mac with OS X El Capitan or later.
- Please visit Apple’s Support: Two-Factor Authentication to learn how to set up two-factor authentication on your Apple device.
2. An Apple ID:
- Must be associated with your business email address and different from your personal Apple ID.
- Creating an Apple ID is not the same as creating an Apple Developer account. Follow this link to learn how to create your Apple ID.
- Apple will use the email address associated with the Apple ID to bill the annual $99 (USD) publisher fee and email your app updates.
- If you already have an Apple ID associated with your business email address, you do not need to complete this step.
3. A Business Domain Email Address:
- You must provide a private email domain name (e.g., email@yourbusiness.com).
- Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or other common email service providers are not accepted.
- If you do not have a business domain email address, you can create one via Google Workspace.
4. D-U-N-S® Number:
- A unique numeric identifier assigned to a business by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).
- Required by Apple to validate your business’s identity and legal status. You cannot enroll in the Apple Developer Program without a D-U-N-S Number.
- Your organization’s legal entity name must match its entry in the D-U-N-S lookup.
5. A Business Website URL:
- Your organization’s publicly available website with a domain name associated with your organization
Apple Developer Account and D-U-N-S® Number
Before enrolling in the Apple Developer Account, you will need to obtain a D-U-N-S number. As stated above, Apple uses your D-U-N-S to validate your business's identity and legal status.
- Check for an Existing D-U-N-S Number: Use the D-U-N-S number look up tool to see if you already have a D-U-N-S number by logging in with your business’s Apple ID.
- Request a New D-U-N-S Number: If you don’t have a D-U-N-S Number, you can request a D-U-N-S number here. Ensure you have your business registration documents ready for D&B’s verification process.
International D&B for DUNS #:
If your country is not listed below, find your country/region here.
- USA DUNS Number
- Canada DUNS Number
- UK DUNS Number
- Ireland DUNS Number
- Australia DUNS Number
- Hong Kong DUNS Number
- Iceland DUNS Number (E-mail): Reports@creditinfo.is
How to Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
You must have all five requirements listed above to enroll in the Apple Developer Program. Be sure to also have a credit card ready, as there is a $99 (USD) annual enrollment fee for the Apple Developer Program, billed directly by Apple.
Note: To successfully enroll in the Apple Developer Program, the information linked to your D-U-N-S # must be the same information you submit to Apple Developer.
Step-by-Step Enrollment Process:
1. Go to the Apple Developer Program enrollment page and click Start Your Enrollment.
2. Log in with your Apple ID and password.
3. When prompted to verify your identity, enter the verification code sent to your Apple ID email address and click Continue.
4. From the Entity Type list, select Company/Organization and click Continue.
5. Under Authority to Sign Legal Agreements, select the appropriate option:
- I am the owner/founder and have the authority to bind my organization to legal agreements: Upon selection, your Work Email field will be displayed. Enter your business email address (must use a private domain name- e.g., email@yourbusiness.com). Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or other common email service providers are not accepted.
- My organization has given me the authority to bind it to legal agreements: Apple will contact a senior employee at your organization to confirm enrollment. Under Verification Contact enter the employee’s contact information.
6. Under Organization Information, enter the information of your organization:
- Legal Entity Name: Enter the name of your business as it appears in the D-U-N-S lookup. Your enrollment will not be successful if the legal entity name does not match the one in the D&B profile.
- D-U-N-S Number: Enter the nine-digit D-U-N-S number assigned to your business.
- Website: Enter the URL of your organization’s publicly available website with a domain name associated with your organization.
- Headquarters Phone: Enter a phone number where Apple can reach you to confirm enrollment. Apple will call the number provided in this field to verify your enrollment.
- Tax ID/National ID: You can leave this field blank.
- Type the correct characters in the CAPTCHA and click Continue.
Note: If you receive an error message under the Legal Entity Name field, click update your D&B profile and submit your business’s information. You may continue this procedure once your profile has been updated.
7. On the Summary for Review page, review and confirm the information. Select This is the correct headquarters address for my organization checkbox and click Submit.
8. You receive an Apple email with the subject line “Your program enrollment has been received”.
Next Steps After Enrollment
After submitting your application for an Apple Developer Account, Apple will contact you to verify your enrollment. A confirmation email will be sent to your Apple ID email address with a link to confirm and pay for your developer membership. The $99 (USD) membership is billed annually. We recommend enabling auto-billing to ensure your account stays up-to-date and your app is not affected.
Once Apple has verified your enrollment and you have paid your $99 (USD) membership, follow these next steps:
- Add us as an admin on your Apple Developer account.
- Generate your Apple API Key to include in your submission form.
Apple Developer Account and D-U-N-S Number Support:
The CBA team at ABC Trainerize is limited in the support we can provide throughout this process as the steps are completed outside of Trainerize, through Apple and D&B. For this reason, please refer to the resources below for additional support:
- Apple Developer Support: For Apple ID, Apple Developer enrollment, account information and related questions
- Dun & Bradstreet Support: For D-U-N-S # lookup, registration, application status, and related questions. Please note, you must select your country/region on D&B’s website before requesting/looking up your D-U-N-S #.
Studio/Enterprise Custom Branded App FAQ
For additional information and frequently asked questions regarding Apple Developer Account and D-U-N-S Number, please refer to the Studio/Enterprise Custom Branded App: Frequently Asked Questions.
