Apple developer account in Nepal: individual or organisation

Yes, a Nepali business can open an Apple developer account and publish iOS apps. The Apple Developer Program costs 99 USD per membership year, and it has to be renewed or your apps disappear from the App Store. Enroll as an organisation if a registered company owns the app. That route needs a D-U-N-S number, a person with authority to sign for the company, and a working company website.

The payment question is different from Google's, and it's covered further down. If you've already read our guide to publishing an Android app on Google Play from Nepal, don't assume the Apple answer is the same.

Should you enroll as an individual or an organisation?

The account type decides whose name appears as the seller on the App Store, and who controls the account when staff change. Apple's enrollment requirements set out what each type needs.

	Individual	Organisation
Who it suits	A sole developer, or a sole proprietorship	A registered company that owns the app
Seller name on the App Store	Your legal name	The organisation's legal name
Apple Account	Two-factor on, legal first and last name	Two-factor on, legal names, ideally your work email
D-U-N-S number	Not needed	Required (government entities excepted)
Authority to sign	You	The enrolling person must be able to bind the organisation to legal agreements
Website	Not required	Public, functional, on a domain tied to the organisation

An individual account is quicker, but the app is then legally yours, not the company's. For a business app that's the wrong place for it to live. People leave, and an app published under a former employee's personal name is a problem nobody notices until an update is due.

Apple is strict about what counts as an organisation. It must be a legal entity that can sign contracts with Apple, and Apple says it does not accept DBAs, trade names or branches. Apple's examples are corporations, limited partnerships and limited liability companies. If your business is a sole proprietorship, Apple's D-U-N-S page says to enroll as an individual.

What does Apple check for an organisation account?

Four checks decide how quickly an organisation account goes through.

The D-U-N-S number. It's a nine-digit identifier from Dun & Bradstreet, and Apple uses it to confirm the organisation's identity, legal status and address. Look your organisation up first, because it may already have one. If it doesn't, Apple's D-U-N-S guidance says requesting one is free, that you should allow up to 5 business days to receive it, and up to 2 more business days before Apple has your details. Dun & Bradstreet may contact you, so keep your company registration documents ready. The legal name you enter has to match the registered one exactly.

Legal binding authority. The person who enrolls becomes the Account Holder. Apple says that person must be an owner or founder, an executive, a senior project lead, or an employee given that authority by a senior employee. An outside developer or agency isn't on that list, so they shouldn't be the one enrolling for you.

The website. It must be public and working, on a domain associated with the organisation. Apple won't accept social media pages, near-empty sites or a registrar's parking page. A business that only has a Facebook page will need a real site first.

Work email. Apple asks for a work email address on the organisation's domain.

Apple's D-U-N-S page asks you to use your exact legal entity name. Use the same spelling on the D-U-N-S record, the enrollment form and the Apple Account.

How much is the Apple Developer Program fee, and does it renew?

Apple lists the fee as 99 USD per membership year, and says prices may vary by region and are shown in local currency during enrollment. Unlike Google Play's one-time fee, this one recurs.

Renewal is the step to plan for from Nepal. Apple's renewal page says automatic renewal on the website is only available in certain regions. You can renew manually from 30 days before the expiry date. If the membership lapses, your apps are no longer available for download and you can't submit updates. People who already installed the app can keep using it. Free apps return within 24 hours of renewing; paid apps return after you accept the Paid Applications Agreement again.

Put the expiry date in a calendar that more than one person reads. Also check that the card on the account still works for international payments a month before it's due.

Can a Nepal-based developer sell paid apps or in-app purchases?

Free apps are straightforward. Apple says joining the programme lets you distribute free apps under the Developer Program License Agreement. To sell apps or offer In-App Purchases, the Account Holder must sign the Paid Apps Agreement in App Store Connect.

On payouts, here is precisely what we found on Apple's own pages. Apple's help page on receiving payments lists four requirements: an active Paid Apps Agreement, banking information in App Store Connect, proceeds above the minimum monthly threshold, and any monthly invoicing your country requires. The same page then has a note specifically about payments to Nepal-based bank accounts, which tells you Apple does pay into them. Apple also lists Nepal as an App Store country.

What we did not find is an Apple page listing which countries can sign the Paid Apps Agreement or receive payouts. So the Nepal note tells you payouts to Nepal are possible. It doesn't confirm that your particular account, entity and bank will clear setup. Before you commission an app that depends on in-app sales, have the Account Holder open the Paid Apps Agreement in App Store Connect and get as far as entering the bank details. Read that Nepal note with your accountant too, because it deals with tax.

Whether an app needs Apple's in-app purchase at all depends on what it sells:

What the app sells	Apple's rule	Paid Apps Agreement needed?
Nothing (free app, member portal, service app)	No payment involved	No
Physical goods or services used outside the app (orders, bookings, deliveries)	Guideline 3.1.3(e): use other payment methods, not in-app purchase	No, payment runs through your own gateway
Digital features or content (subscriptions, premium access, credits)	Guideline 3.1.1: you must use in-app purchase	Yes

If your app sits in the first or second row, the Paid Apps question never comes up.

What happens at App Review?

Every app and update goes to App Review before it reaches the store. Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48. You can ask for an expedited review for a critical bug fix or an event-linked launch.

Two guidelines cause most of the trouble for business apps:

• 2.1 App Completeness. No placeholder content, working links, a build tested on real devices, and a demo account with a live backend if the app has a login. Apple notes that over 40% of unresolved issues fall under this guideline.
• 4.2 Minimum Functionality. Apple expects an app to do more than repackage a website. A thin wrapper around your existing site is a common rejection, and if that's the plan, a web app may serve you better.

How do you test before release with TestFlight?

TestFlight is Apple's beta testing tool, included with the membership. You can add up to 100 internal testers from your App Store Connect team and invite up to 10,000 external testers. The first build you send to external testers has to pass App Review for TestFlight, so allow for that.

There's no equivalent of Google's mandatory 14-day, 12-tester closed test. Run a TestFlight round with your own staff anyway. They know what your customers will try first.

Frequently asked questions

Can I publish an iOS app from Nepal without a company?

Yes. An individual can enroll with their legal name, and that name becomes the seller name. A business app should still go under the business's organisation account so it doesn't depend on one person.

Who should be the Account Holder?

Someone at the company with authority to sign agreements, using an account the company controls. Developers and agencies can be added as team members in App Store Connect without holding the account. Our post on who should own your app store accounts covers the setup.

Can my developer publish under their account and move it later?

It's possible, but it's a detour. When a client asks us to publish under the EK Ra Sunya account to get started, we do, and we transfer the app to the client's own account free whenever they ask. Starting under the client's own organisation account is cleaner.

Can we start with a free Apple account?

For building and on-device testing, yes. Apple's free registration doesn't include App Store Connect, though, and you need App Store Connect for TestFlight and for submitting to the store. Enroll in the paid programme before the first beta.

Getting an iOS app live

Our mobile app development team builds Flutter and React Native apps for iOS and Android, and we can help with enrollment, TestFlight and App Review. If you're about to enroll, or stuck partway through, tell us where it stands.