The Apple Developer Enterprise Program is the only official route for large organizations to distribute proprietary, internal-use apps directly to their own employees — no App Store listing, no per-device registration. It costs $299 per membership year and is deliberately hard to get into: Apple requires 100+ employees, a legal entity, a D-U-N-S number, a public website, and a verification process that includes an interview and continuous evaluation. If your company plans to ship in-house apps in 2026, here is the registration process from start to finish.

Step 1 — Confirm your use case before you apply

The Enterprise Program is not a cheaper or looser App Store. Apple states it is “only for the internal use and distribution of proprietary apps in specific use cases” that are not adequately addressed by public apps on the App Store, custom apps through Apple Business, Ad Hoc distribution, or TestFlight. Work through the program-selection flow on the official Enterprise Program page first. If your apps are for the public, for business clients, or even for your own employees through TestFlight, the standard Apple Developer Program is the correct — and only — choice. Applying for enterprise membership with a public-distribution plan is the fastest route to rejection, and misuse after approval is a well-known cause of termination.

Step 2 — Check the hard eligibility bar

Apple publishes four non-negotiable requirements. Your organization must:

Step 3 — Get your D-U-N-S number and public website ready

Verification requires a D-U-N-S Number, a unique nine-digit business identifier assigned by Dun & Bradstreet. You can check whether your organization already has one and request one if necessary — they are free in most jurisdictions. Your organization must also run a publicly available website with a domain name associated with the organization. Apple uses both to authenticate your entity, and may contact your organization to verify additional details.

Step 4 — Choose the right Apple Account and applicant

The person applying must have legal authority to bind the organization — typically the owner/founder, an executive team member, a senior project lead, or someone granted authority by a senior employee. Sign in with an Apple Account that has two-factor authentication turned on. One critical detail: if you are already enrolled in the Apple Developer Program, or have an iTunes Connect account for another media type, you must use a different Apple Account for the Enterprise Program.

Step 5 — Pass verification (interview + continuous evaluation)

Apple verifies your organization's information, validates your intended use, and confirms that the App Store, Apple Business, Ad Hoc distribution, or TestFlight would not adequately meet your needs. Expect a verification interview and continuous evaluation — this is not a one-time check. When you renew, your organization is verified again, so keep your entity details, website, and D-U-N-S record accurate and current. Apple also reserves the right to reject an application at its sole discretion.

Step 6 — Sign the agreement and pay $299

Approved organizations receive the enterprise program license agreement for review and acceptance. The fee is 299 USD per membership year, or the equivalent in local currency where available. Membership renews annually and stays tied to your organization's ongoing compliance with the program's terms.

Step 7 — Distribute via enterprise certificates and MDM

After enrollment you create enterprise distribution certificates in your developer account and distribute apps through secure internal systems or a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. There is no public App Review — the trade-off is that Apple holds the organization fully accountable for keeping distribution internal. Using enterprise certificates to sideload apps to people outside the organization is the fastest way to lose the program.

The one-line version

The Apple Developer Enterprise Program in 2026 is a $299-per-year, interview-gated membership for organizations with 100+ employees that distribute proprietary in-house apps: confirm your use case, prepare your D-U-N-S number and public website, apply with a separate 2FA Apple Account and a person who can bind the company, pass the verification interview, and keep distribution strictly internal through MDM — because every renewal re-verifies you.

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Planning in-house apps for a large organization, or managing Apple developer accounts and compliance? KappS helps developers and companies with Apple program enrollment, account operations, and compliance.

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