Setting up Apple and Google developer accounts for a UAE company (D-U-N-S, verification)

Why the accounts should be in your company's name

The developer account is where your app lives. It holds the listing, the reviews, the download history, the signing setup and, on Apple, the seller name shown on the App Store. Apple says the organisation's name is displayed as the seller of its apps. If a developer publishes your app under their own account, all of that belongs to them, and moving it later is slow at best.

I always publish under the client's accounts. You own them, you pay the store fees directly, and I work on them as an invited team member. If you ever change developer, nothing has to move.

What to have ready before you start

Gather these first, using the exact legal name on your registration documents everywhere.

• Your company's legal entity name, exactly as registered. Apple does not accept trade names, DBAs or branches.
• The registered headquarters address and a mailing address.
• A public, working website on your company's domain. Apple will not accept a social media page or a placeholder page from a domain registrar.
• A work email address on that same domain.
• A person with legal authority to sign agreements for the company, such as the owner, a founder or an executive.
• An Apple Account for that person with two-factor authentication on, using their real first and last name.
• A Google Account and a credit or debit card for the Google fee. Google does not accept prepaid cards.
• A D-U-N-S number for the company.

Step 1: get or check your D-U-N-S number

A D-U-N-S number is a nine-digit business identifier assigned by Dun & Bradstreet. Apple uses it to verify your organisation's identity, legal status and address, and Google Play requires one for every organisation account. Both Apple and Google state that getting one is free, and Google warns against third-party services that charge for it.

Start with Apple's D-U-N-S lookup tool, which checks whether your company already has a number. If it does not, you can submit your details to Dun & Bradstreet from there. Apple asks you to allow up to 5 business days to receive the number, and then up to 2 business days for Apple to receive your information from Dun & Bradstreet before you enroll.

If enrollment says your organisation is not listed as a legal entity, the Dun & Bradstreet record usually shows a different legal status, such as a sole proprietorship, or the status is not verified yet. Apple's advice is to contact Dun & Bradstreet with your registration documents to correct the record. A sole proprietorship or one-person business enrolls with Apple as an individual instead.

Step 2: enroll in the Apple Developer Program

The person enrolling becomes the Account Holder and must have the legal authority to bind the company to Apple's agreements. Apple lists the owner or founder, an executive team member, a senior project lead, or an employee given that authority by a senior employee.

Sign in with the Apple Account, choose to enroll as an organisation, enter the legal entity name and D-U-N-S number, and pay the fee. Apple lists the program at 99 USD per membership year and notes that prices may vary by region and are shown in local currency during enrollment. Once approved, you can invite other developers to your team, which is how I get access without your password.

Step 3: create a Google Play organisation account

Sign up for Play Console, accept the Developer Distribution Agreement, pay the US$25 one-time registration fee and choose an organisation account. Google tells businesses to choose an organisation account, and makes it mandatory for apps offering financial services, health apps and government apps.

Your organisation's name and address are taken from your Google payments profile, which is linked to the account, and Google uses your D-U-N-S number to verify the organisation. Google says all submitted documents must exactly match the information in that payments profile. New organisation accounts also complete website verification, and the contact email, contact phone, developer email and developer phone are each verified with a one-time code.

Plan what Google will show publicly. For organisation accounts, Google Play displays your legal name, legal address, developer email address and developer phone number. Use a business email and a business line, not a personal mobile. Google also requires new personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 to run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before going to production; that requirement is written for personal accounts.

Common snags and how to avoid them

Most hold-ups are mismatches: a trade name on one form and the legal name on another, an address that differs from the Dun & Bradstreet record, or a website that is still a holding page. Fix the source record first, then enroll. Correcting a Dun & Bradstreet profile also takes time; Apple says it can take up to two business days for updated information to reach Apple.

Use an email address on your domain that will still work in five years, not one tied to a single employee. Google requires its verified contact details to stay operational for as long as the developer account exists.

Once the app is ready for review, the next set of rules is about the app itself. I cover those in the article on why apps get rejected.

How this fits with my packages

Store publishing is included in all my app packages: Launch at $999, Growth at $1,699 and Scale at $2,500. I walk you through setting up both accounts in your company's name, then prepare the builds, listings and review notes and publish under your accounts. The store fees are paid by you directly to Apple and Google and are not part of the package price. If either store rejects the app later, I fix and resubmit at no cost; the article on rejections covers why that happens.