Put your app under your LLC: D-U-N-S number, Apple, and Google Play

Whose name shows on your store listing?

With an individual or personal account, the store shows you. Apple lists your personal legal name as the seller. Google Play shows your legal name, your country, and your developer email, plus your full address once you sell. Enroll as an organization and the LLC’s legal name takes that place.

What does the LLC need before you apply?

Haven’t formed the LLC yet? Start with your state’s guide on the guides index, then get an EIN. If you don’t want your home address on the store listing, read what stays public about an LLC before you give Dun & Bradstreet an address. The address on your D-U-N-S record is the one Apple shows on EU listings.

How do you get a free D-U-N-S number?

A D-U-N-S number is a free nine-digit business ID from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Both stores use it to check that your LLC is a real legal entity at the address you give.

1. Look it up first. Your LLC may already have a number. Check Apple’s D-U-N-S lookup (you sign in with your Apple Account) or D&B’s own lookup.
2. Request one if it’s missing. Apple’s tool asks for the legal entity name, headquarters address, mailing address, and your work contact details, then sends them to D&B. D&B’s site also has “I’m an Apple developer” and “I’m a Google Developer” paths.
3. Answer D&B if they call. A D&B representative may contact you to confirm details. Keep your state registration documents handy.
4. Wait. Through Apple, allow up to 5 business days for the number, then up to 2 business days before Apple can see it. If it takes longer than two weeks, email D&B. Requested directly from D&B, normal processing can take up to 30 business days.

D&B offers paid expedited processing, but says it is not required. Google warns that some third-party services charge high fees for this free registration.

How do you enroll the LLC in the Apple Developer Program?

1. Use an Apple Account with two-factor authentication on. Enter your own legal first and last name, not the company name.
2. Choose to enroll an organization. Enter the LLC’s legal entity name and D-U-N-S number.
3. Apple verifies your authority to bind the LLC and may ask for notarized business documents. If it does, you can get them notarized online through Business Anywhere.
4. When Apple Developer Support emails next steps, accept the Apple Developer Program License Agreement and pay 99 USD for the membership year. Prices vary by region and show in local currency.
5. To sell apps or in-app purchases, sign the Paid Apps Agreement in App Store Connect and add bank and tax details. The W-9 asks a business entity for its EIN.

How do you set up a Google Play organization account?

1. Sign up for Play Console with a Google Account and pay the US$25 one-time fee by credit or debit card. Prepaid cards are not accepted.
2. Pick the Organization account type. You cannot create one without a D-U-N-S number.
3. Create a payments profile with the D-U-N-S number, organization name, and address. Then add the organization phone and website, contact details for Google, and the developer email and phone shown on Google Play. Each email and phone is verified with a one-time code.
4. Verify the legal name and address. They must match your D&B profile. If they drift apart later, Google can restrict the account and remove your apps until you fix it.

Can you move an app you already published under your own name?

Apple: request a change from individual to organization membership in your developer account. You need to be the LLC’s founder or cofounder and give its D-U-N-S number. Apple may ask for business documents.

Google Play: the account owner can convert a fully verified personal account in Play Console. Go to Developer account › About you, verify the organization website, then choose Change account type. Set up an organization payments profile with the D-U-N-S number, verify it, link it, and confirm. Google asks you to wait at least 72 hours before submitting new apps. You can’t switch back to personal later.

Put your app under your LLC FAQ

Can I publish under a brand name or DBA instead of the LLC’s legal name?

Not on Apple. Apple does not accept DBAs, trade names, or fictitious business names, and the legal entity name is shown as the seller. Google Play lets you pick a developer name that differs from your legal name, but it still displays the organization’s legal name and address on Google Play.

Does a single-member LLC count as an organization?

For Apple, yes, if it is a legal entity such as a limited liability company. A sole proprietorship enrolls as an individual. If Apple says your organization “is not listed as a legal entity”, D&B has you on file with a different status; email D&B with your business registration documents.

Does an organization account have to run Google’s 12-tester closed test?

Google states that rule for personal accounts created after November 13, 2023: a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days in a row before you can apply for production access.

Do I need a particular email provider?

No provider is named. Apple asks for a work email address associated with your organization’s domain name, and a public website on that domain. Any mailbox on your own domain meets the wording.

Related guides

• Anonymous LLC: what stays public
• Change your LLC’s address
• After you form an LLC: first 30 days