Apple and Google Developer Accounts from Lebanon 2026

Apple will not let a Lebanese company publish an app until Dun & Bradstreet has issued it a D-U-N-S Number. That requirement sits on Apple's enrollment page, and it is where most local app launches lose their first two weeks. Google Play now asks organizations for the same number, then adds a testing rule of its own for personal accounts.

Owners usually budget for the build and forget the accounts. Below is what each store asks for, how long each wait runs, and the order that saves the most time.

Can I create an Apple Developer account as a company?

Yes, if the company is a legal entity with a D-U-N-S Number, a live website on its own domain and an email on that domain. Apple refuses trade names, DBAs and branches, and the person enrolling must have authority to sign contracts for the company. The company name then appears as the seller on every App Store listing.

In Lebanon that usually means an SAL or an SARL on the commercial register. A sole establishment registered under the owner's own name is not a separate legal entity, and Apple's D-U-N-S help page tells sole proprietors to enroll as individuals instead. Try the organization route anyway and enrollment stops with the message "Your organization is not listed as a legal entity."

The website check catches more Lebanese businesses than the legal one. Apple rejects links to social media pages and domains that show a registrar's placeholder. A brand that lives on Instagram needs a real site first, and our guide to choosing between a website and an app covers what that site has to do.

Are Apple Developer accounts free?

No: publishing on the App Store costs 99 USD per membership year, charged again at every renewal. Apple waives the fee only for nonprofits, accredited schools and government bodies that sell no digital goods. Google Play charges a one-time US$25 registration fee, and the D-U-N-S Number itself is free.

The card matters more than the amount. Google states that prepaid cards are not accepted and may ask for a credit card and a government ID under your legal name. Apple charges the renewal to a card every year. If that card belongs to a freelancer who later moves on, the renewal fails and the app comes off sale. Put it on a company card and write down who holds it.

Watch for paid shortcuts as well. Google warns that applying for a D-U-N-S Number is free and that some third parties charge high fees for the same form.

Source: Apple enrollment, Apple payments, Google Play account requirements, Google Play locations, read 2026-10-14

Should a Lebanese business enroll as an individual or an organization?

Enroll as an organization if the app carries your brand and must outlive any single employee. An individual account shows a person's legal name as the seller and ties the listing to that person's Apple Account. An organization account shows the company name and lets you add staff and agencies as users. Both cost the same 99 USD a year; the difference is setup time.

Individual accounts still suit a prototype tested with a few users, or a founder who has not registered a company yet. Moving an app from a personal account to a company account later is possible, but it is a transfer with conditions rather than a setting. Who should own the accounts, and what the contract should say, is covered in what to check before you sign with app developers.

At Voxire we open both store accounts in the client's company name during the first week of a project. The client is the Account Holder and our team is added as developers. No client app is published under our name.

How long does it take to get a D-U-N-S number?

Allow between one and four weeks, so request it before development starts. Apple says Dun & Bradstreet takes up to 5 business days to issue a number, then Apple needs up to 2 more business days to receive it. Google's organization guide is blunter and warns the process can take up to 30 days.

Look your company up first. Many Lebanese firms that import, export or bid on international contracts already have a number without knowing it. If you need a new one, enter the legal name exactly as it appears on your registration certificate, because Apple matches it against the D&B record. Keep the registration documents close. D&B may call to confirm your business type or staff count.

What does Google Play require that Apple does not?

Google makes new personal accounts run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days in a row. The rule covers personal accounts created after November 13, 2023, and the Production track stays locked until the test ends and you answer questions about it. Organization accounts do not face it, which is another reason to register as one.

Google also asks new personal accounts to prove they own an Android device through the Play Console app. Organization accounts verify through the D-U-N-S Number instead and must list a company website. If Dun & Bradstreet cannot serve your region, Google offers another check, but only if you contact support before you create the account.

Recruiting testers sounds easy. Keeping each one opted in for two full weeks is harder. Use staff, family and a handful of loyal customers, and send them a short note on what to tap.

How do Lebanese developers get paid by Apple and Google?

Both stores pay into a bank account you nominate, after their commission. Google Play lists Lebanon as supported for developer and merchant registration, with payouts in USD or EUR. Apple pays within 45 days of the end of each fiscal month, once a Paid Apps Agreement and banking details are in place.

Most business apps never touch this. A restaurant ordering app or a loyalty app sells physical goods and services, and Apple's guideline 3.1.3(e) requires those to be paid outside in-app purchase, through your own gateway, with no store commission. Only digital goods sold inside the app, such as subscriptions or premium features, go through store billing. For those, the App Store Small Business Program and Google Play's service fees both start at 15% on the first 1 million USD a year.

For physical sales, pick the gateway early. Our comparison of Lebanese payment gateways covers which ones work inside a mobile checkout. Use a bank account that receives international transfers in fresh dollars, and confirm it with your bank before you enter the details in either console.

What should you actually do this week?

Request the D-U-N-S Number today, because every other step waits on it and it runs in parallel with the build. Then fix the website and work email that both stores check, decide who pays the yearly renewal, and open the Google Play organization account. Each item below takes less than an hour of your own time.

• Search for your company through Apple's D-U-N-S page and request a number if none exists.
• Confirm your website is live on your own domain and create a work email on it.
• Choose the company card that will carry the 99 USD Apple renewal, and record who holds it.
• Open a Google Play organization account and pay the 25 USD fee once.
• Ask your developer to confirm in writing that both accounts sit in your company's name.

If you are still budgeting the build, Voxire's mobile app development MVPs start from $8,000, with the store accounts set up in your name in the first week. For ranges by app type, read mobile app development cost in Lebanon.

Sources

• Apple Developer Program: Become a member, read 2026-10-14
• Apple: D-U-N-S Number help, read 2026-10-14
• Apple: Developer Program fee waiver, read 2026-10-14
• Apple: Overview of receiving payments, read 2026-10-14
• Apple: App Review Guidelines, read 2026-10-14
• Apple: App Store Small Business Program, read 2026-10-14
• Google Play Console Help: Get started with Play Console, read 2026-10-14
• Google Play Console Help: App testing requirements for new personal accounts, read 2026-10-14
• Google Play Console Help: Required information to create a developer account, read 2026-10-14
• Google Play Console Help: Supported locations for developer and merchant registration, read 2026-10-14
• Google Play Console Help: Service fees, read 2026-10-14

Ready to publish your app under your own company name?

We open the Apple and Google accounts in your name, file the D-U-N-S request with you, and build the app while the waits run. Send us your company details and the app idea, and we will map the launch dates.

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