Creating an Apple Developer Account
To publish apps for Apple’s platforms, you must start by creating an Apple developer account for your organization and setting up permissions. This article walks you through the process.
Register as a Developer
Apple offers both individual and organization accounts. Begin enrollment for both individual and organizations through the Apple Development Program. We strongly recommend that you enroll as an organization even if you are the only one currently managing your business. This is because enrolling as an organization preserves the opportunity to invite other team members to contribute to your work in the future.
To enroll as an organization, you’ll need the following:
DUNS Number
The business data company Dun & Bradstreet assigns DUNS numbers to organizations. A DUNS (or D-U-N-S) number is a unique 9-digit identifier for businesses. Request a new DUNS number through the Dun & Bradstreet site.
Some of our customers find that applying for a DUNS number requires more time than the Apple developer account. If you don’t already have a number, we recommend starting this process as soon as possible.
Legal Entity Status
Your organization must be considered a legal entity (e.g., partnership, LLC, corporation, etc.).
Legal Binding Authority
You must have the legal authority to bind your organization to legal agreements.
Payment
You will need a credit card for payment. After your initial payment, you can set the account to auto-renew each year. We recommend doing so to avoid gaps in your membership that could cause your apps to disappear from the App Store.
Invite Team Members
After your developer account is approved, sign in to App Store Connect to set up your team. Because you created the account, Apple considers you the sole account holder or owner. The account holder must periodically review and accept Apple’s updated Terms and Conditions. The account holder also has the authority to invite other users to help manage other aspects of the app’s App Store listing.
Follow these steps to invite new users:
- Click the Users and Access button from the main dashboard in App Store Connect.
- Select the add button (blue circle with a +) to add a new user. You’ll see the form below.
Once added, users will receive invitations from Apple to join your development team. Invitations expire, so it is important to click on the corresponding link to accept the invitation in a timely manner.
Manage Permissions
In the Roles section, select Admin to allow the user to manage your apps as well as other users (including members of the development team) in your account. If you are not comfortable granting Admin access, App Manager is the lowest-level role that will still allow app development teams to create new apps for you in your account.
For our developers, it is important to check the “Access to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles” box at the lower left of the form unless you or your team is comfortable managing code signing certificates yourself.
Concluding Thoughts
Creating an Apple developer account is a key requirement to publish apps for Apple’s platforms. But it also unlocks a wide range of tools and resources that can help you streamline the app development process.
If you’re ready to create your account, now is the perfect time to follow the registration process outlined here. Once you’re registered, you can start taking advantage of all the benefits of the Apple Developer ecosystem.
Also, check out our collection of Apple and Google resources. From submitting to optimizing your mobile app, there’s a guide for each process step.