Sharing the Apple Developer Accoun

So Part 1 covered the initial wall you hit when you try to sign up. Part 2 is about what happens after you think you've cleared it — and realize there's another wall. And another. And yet another.

Here's the thing nobody warns you about: Apple doesn't make it impossible to sign up on purpose. They make it impossible because their registration flow assumes you're a registered business entity operating in a country where Apple has a legal entity to verify against. If you don't fit that mold, every single field becomes a trap.

Let me walk through the real pain points from this round.

First, the D-U-N-S number requirement. If you're an individual, not a company, you need a D-U-N-S number to register as a business. Getting one from Dun & Bradstreet used to be free and fast. Now it can take weeks, and sometimes it just doesn't come through. I've seen people wait 45 days. The alternative — registering a company just to get the D-U-N-S — means you're chasing a chicken-and-egg problem before you even write a line of code.

Second, the physical address verification. Apple will sometimes reject a registered address if it doesn't match their internal mapping data. I watched a friend get denied because his office building's legal name on Google Maps didn't match what Apple's system had on file. He had to submit a utility bill and a signed letter from his landlord. For a developer account. To build apps.

Third — and this is the part that gets me — the tax forms. If you're not in the US, you need a W-8BEN. The form itself is straightforward, but the IRS processing time for non-residents can stretch to months. Without a valid tax treaty status on file, Apple won't let you accept any paid distribution revenue, even if your app goes free the next day. You're locked out of monetization before your app exists.

And then there's the banking requirement. Apple Pay isn't just for consumers — developers need a bank account that can receive wire transfers in USD, which means either having a US bank or using a service like Wise or Payoneer. Some people report their bank details getting flagged for "suspicious activity" simply because they're receiving payments from Apple's payment processor, which looks unusual to compliance algorithms.

What I've learned from this round is that the process isn't really about Apple being evil. It's about a system designed for enterprises that accidentally gates out independent developers and small teams in emerging markets. The workaround isn't pretty — most people end up partnering with a registered entity, using a D-U-N-S service, and setting up a multi-currency bank account before they can even think about uploading their first build.

If you're starting this journey, budget two months minimum. Not for the actual development, but for the paperwork.