First, separate two things that are often confused: registering as a free Apple developer and joining the paid Apple Developer Program.
Signing in to Xcode with an Apple Account already lets you test apps on your own devices under a Personal Team. The paid program is what you need to distribute on the App Store, run external TestFlight testing, and use the program’s full distribution capabilities.
Choose the legal owner before filling out a form
Individual and organization memberships offer broadly similar development capabilities. The meaningful difference is the seller name shown on the App Store and the legal entity that owns the team.
Individual / sole proprietor
You contract under your legal name, which appears as the App Store seller. No D‑U‑N‑S Number is required. This suits independent developers and one-person businesses.
Company / organization
You contract under a legal entity name, which appears as the seller. You need a D‑U‑N‑S Number, a public website, and authority to bind the organization.
A practical rule: if the App Store must show a company or brand owner rather than your personal legal name, establish the legal entity and D‑U‑N‑S record first, then enroll as an organization.
An individual membership can later request conversion, but Apple will reverify the organization and founder. It is not a quick seller-name edit.
What to prepare
- One device for the entire process: an iPhone or iPad secured by Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, or an eligible Mac. Do not switch devices halfway through.
- Your Apple Account: two-factor authentication is on, and your legal name, address, phone, trusted number, and trusted devices are current.
- Device state: you are signed in to iCloud and have the latest Apple Developer app. The account used in the Developer app may differ from the device’s iCloud account.
- Identity evidence: your legal details and a government-issued photo ID. Mainland China uses an ID number and in-app selfie verification.
- A valid payment method: US$99 per membership year, or the local price where available. Apple Account balance is generally not accepted.
Individual enrollment in five steps
Open the Account tab
Launch the Apple Developer app on your prepared device, open Account, and sign in with the Apple Account you want to associate with the membership.
Start enrollment
Review and accept the Apple Developer Agreement, choose Enroll Now, then review the program benefits and requirements.
Verify your legal identity
Enter your legal name and phone number exactly as they appear on your documents. Most regions ask you to capture a government-issued photo ID. Mainland China asks for an ID number, a selfie, and Latin-character name and address details.
Choose Individual
Review your submission, select Individual as the entity type, and accept the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Your legal name becomes the App Store seller name.
Subscribe and activate
Confirm the annual auto-renewable subscription and pay. Apple emails a receipt; check membership status with the same Apple Account after review.
US$99 / year
or the local price
where available
App enrollment creates an auto-renewable subscription. You can cancel at least one day before renewal; the current year is nonrefundable. Eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions, and government entities may request a fee waiver during organization enrollment.
Organization enrollment: align the records first
The person enrolling becomes the Account Holder and must have legal authority to bind the organization. Apple accepts an owner or founder, executive, senior project lead, or an employee granted authority by a senior employee.
D‑U‑N‑S is the most common waiting point
The organization must be a legal entity able to contract with Apple and must use its exact legal name. DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names, and branches are not accepted in place of the entity. Use Apple’s D‑U‑N‑S lookup before requesting a new nine-digit number for free.
- Prepare the legal entity name, headquarters and mailing addresses, and your work contact details.
- Dun & Bradstreet may contact you for the business type, employee count, or registration documents.
- Apple advises allowing up to five business days for a new number, then up to two more business days for it to reach Apple.
You will also need
- The entity type, legal name, headquarters address, and phone number;
- A public website whose domain is associated with the organization;
- Confirmation of your signing authority and a colleague who can verify it;
- Certified or notarized business documents if Apple requests them.
Submit the information for Apple’s review. After the approval email arrives, return to the Apple Developer app on the same device, choose Continue Your Enrollment, accept the license, and subscribe.
Three common blockers
Enroll Now is missing
Check that app enrollment is supported in your region, the app is current, the device is signed in to iCloud, two-factor authentication is enabled, and you meet your region’s age of majority. If it remains unavailable, begin on Apple’s enrollment website or contact Developer Support.
Identity verification keeps failing
Your Apple Account details must match your legal documents, and P.O. boxes are not accepted as addresses. Do not cycle through Apple Accounts: once verified, the identity is associated with that account and cannot be verified again with another one.
The organization is “not listed as a legal entity”
Check the legal name and status in D&B. A sole proprietorship should enroll as an individual. If the organization’s record is wrong, prepare complete registration documents, ask D&B to update it, and wait for the change to sync before retrying.
After approval
- Sign in at developer.apple.com and confirm Membership Details and the Team ID.
- Open App Store Connect and accept pending agreements. Organization accounts should invite teammates with the minimum roles they need.
- Add the same Apple Account in Xcode, select the correct team, and create or automatically manage signing assets.
- To sell paid apps or in-app purchases, complete tax, banking, and contract details in App Store Connect.