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Registering a company in the Apple Developer Program: what you need to know

21.08.2024

Not only individual developers have the opportunity to access the options provided by the Apple Developer company by creating an account, but also companies. The American brand offers different types of accounts for software creators, which differ in cost and terms of access to the platform’s functionality. If you create a profile for a legal entity, you will have to pay not $99, but $299, but you will be able to log in from an unlimited number of devices. This is convenient for large web studios and other organizations that use software for internal needs and are engaged in its development and optimization. You can register yourself, although we at Nova.Shop recommend a simpler option, knowing how tedious and complicated the process can be. This review will describe the step-by-step procedure for creating an account for a company – after studying it, you will be able to understand what is better – to do everything on your own or buy an Apple Developer account.

What needs to be done before registration begins?

While concentrating on the many benefits that a developer profile provides, many forget that participation in the Apple Developer program imposes certain obligations. One of them is to pay the subscription amount once a year, and if your company is located in Russia, then difficulties may arise with this due to the current sanctions on financial transactions. That is, you should think in advance about how exactly you will resolve the issue of transferring the Apple Developer program price.

In addition, a number of other issues need to be resolved:

select a responsible employee who will control all processes related to account management – the data during registration is always entered by the director (less often the chief accountant), but in the future you need someone who will deal with the technical aspects, for example, you can choose the director of the IT department;
get a D-U-N-S number (if you plan to buy an Apple ID account, you won’t need it) – this identifier is issued by a licensed D&B organization after verifying the existence of the enterprise. This stage alone will take up to 1 month. It takes about the same amount to directly register and transfer the Apple Developer account price, and this is provided that you did not make a mistake at any step. If saving time is a priority, then purchasing a ready-made profile with payment for a year will be the best option;
It will be most convenient to decide how to register an Apple developer account. There is a standard procedure, which we will describe below, and a new one – this is what the apple brand has been recommending for 3 years, but there is a big disadvantage – in this case, you will have to add 20% to the amount of subscription and commission, since you need to pay VAT. If you still decide to use an alternative route, then you need to install the application for developers on your iPad or iPhone and follow the instructions https://developer.apple.com/support/app-account/.

How to create a profile and get an Apple developer certificate: basic registration steps

The process will begin with registering an Apple ID, since without this it will not be possible to issue developer certificates. To do this, you need to open the page https://developer.apple.com/programs and create a new identifier, then go to the “Account” section and in a special form indicate the full name of the card holder from which the payment will be debited. It is better to use the director’s data. The information must be real and relevant, otherwise you will not pass subsequent verification. An email address is also entered, where, after the appropriate click, a confirmation code will be sent – it should be specified in a separate field. Additionally, you should note that you have read the license agreement and agree with it, and confirm registration.

If you haven’t done D-U-N-S yet, then you can’t put it off any further. You can get the number:

by sending a request on the Apple website – the service is free, but you will have to wait a long time for the result;
use the services of Interfax – Dun and Bradstreet so that the ID is ready within 5 days.

Now everything is ready for developer registration, which involves:

Filling out the data in the form, it opens after clicking the Enroll button on the program website.
Entering your Apple ID to gain access to the functionality of the platform for developers after clicking Start Your Enrollment.
Confirmation of the personal data of the director of the company and choice of Company/Organization status.
Confirm that you have read the agreement and make payment by connecting to your debit card profile (traditional or virtual).
Waiting for the payment to proceed and setting up your account.

With a responsible attitude and extreme care, the company will be able to obtain an activated profile on the developer platform, but there is not always the time and desire to spend more than 2 months on formalities – it’s easier to buy an account with a subscription, log in to the console using your Apple ID and start working right away.