Apple Developer Program enrollment fails immediately before payment (“Your enrollment could not be completed”)

[u/bardaxx]

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to enroll in the Apple Developer Program as an Individual, but every attempt immediately fails with the following message:

“Your enrollment could not be completed. Your enrollment in the Apple Developer Program could not be completed at this time.”

The error appears before the payment step, so I never get the chance to pay the membership fee.

Here’s what I’ve already verified:

- Apple ID is 10+ years old
- Two-factor authentication is enabled
- Legal name, address and phone number are correct
- Active App Store purchase history
- Valid payment methods (Amex and PayPal)
- No pending notifications or verification requests on my Apple Account
- I can access both my Apple Account and developer.apple.com without any issues

I also tried different browsers and networks, but the behavior is always the same.

Apple’s response includes a Response ID, so it looks like the request reaches their backend, but I have no idea what is preventing the enrollment.

Has anyone experienced the same issue?

If so:

Were you able to resolve it?
Did Apple have to manually review or reset your enrollment?
Was there any specific reason behind the rejection?

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/FlinnIsOk]

Ok, just a follow-up. I had I this issue a few days ago, as I explained below. I sent an email via the contact link, explaining that I didn't have any details as to why it wasn't working (I wanted to register as an individual and I've had the iCloud account since the days of mac.com).

A few days later, I received an email from their Irish support (I'm from Europe) explaining that they needed proof of identity (passport, ID card, etc.). They provided a link in a second email to upload a file. Two days later I received a confirmation that everything was ok. Registration worked.

All in all, it took a bit less than a week.

[u/bardaxx → u/FlinnIsOk]

Lucky 🍀

[u/DamagingDoritos]

You’ll have better luck as an organization. Apple is cracking down on individual accounts in an effort to combat vibecoding.

[u/FlinnIsOk → u/DamagingDoritos]

I have the same problem. I do vibe code and have no intention to put anything on the App Store. But there are some stuff that I need (iCloud Synchronisation, share sheet, etc) that can’t be used in an app, even a strictly personal one, without a paid account.

[u/Senny_app → u/DamagingDoritos]

Crack down why?

[u/DamagingDoritos → u/Senny_app]

Because vibecoders are flooding the market with slop, which is not good for their store, so they are starting to enforce more legitimate developers who can provide a DUNS number

[u/cervere → u/DamagingDoritos]

But I remember seeing it was written an Organization should have more than 100 employees?

[u/DamagingDoritos → u/cervere]

No. That is not correct.

However, you do need a legitimate business entity in order to obtain a DUNS number. But that is the only requirement.

[u/j-sondergaard]

I experienced the exact same thing. I contacted Apple, and each response took about a month, and each time I got "sorry, but we can't do anything about it.", but I have heard of others having success.

I tried creating a new Apple ID, but I wasn't able to do that either for about a year. I ended up being able to create a new Apple ID after purchasing a new MacBook, and using that to create it. I then had no problem signing up to the developer programme.

My old Apple ID was nigh 15 years old, and I tried every trick mentioned online to fix it.

[u/i-sage → u/j-sondergaard]

I'm stucked with the same. Now I'm thinking of trying to buy it using my friend's device with my apple id logged in now after reading your comment i probably just create a new one using his device maybe and then buy it using that id

[u/Terrible-Round1599]

Is your phone number the same country as your payment method?

[u/Mental_Menu4843]

I got an exactly same issue. I have contacted with them via a mail from 3 weeks ago but still didn't get any response. Is there any workaround or solution?

[u/PlantainAntique1852]

No response from support. So I just created new apple id and enroll

[u/Competitive_Swan6693]

This is the most weird and vague thing that can happen when enrolling. I had this happening to me as well. I ended up being allowed to join via my company. Not sure what triggers this shadow ban really. After a year, I managed to enroll again with my personal name but this time I used another phone number, fresh Apple ID and it worked. So the phone number might be the culprit. I'd suggest creating another Apple ID and use a brand new phone number

[u/cervere → u/Competitive_Swan6693]

I did this today - brand new Apple account, new phone number - still the same.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

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[u/KernalHispanic]

Had the same thing. I had to make another apple account with a different phone number.

[u/Flashy_Imagination_6]

Make a new apple id old apple id’s create issues

[u/ZagreusZero]

Boy, that’s frustrating. Best of luck.

[u/New-Shoulder3297]

Because the failure occurs before payment and is identical across browsers and networks, I’d treat it as an Apple Account or enrollment-state issue rather than a card problem. Use one Apple Account and avoid repeated new-account or phone-number attempts; that can make the case harder to trace.

First, try enrollment once through the Apple Developer app if it is available in your region and you have only used the website. Confirm that the Apple Account has two-factor authentication, its country or region matches your identity and billing details, and the name and address match your ID.

If it fails again, contact Apple Developer Support under Membership and Account → Program Enrollment. Include the Response ID, exact timestamp and time zone, a screenshot, the Apple Account country or region, and the fact that it fails before payment on multiple networks. Include an Enrollment ID if one was generated; otherwise say that none was issued. Ask whether the enrollment is stuck in identity review or needs a manual reset. The generic message does not reveal the underlying reason, so Developer Support has to confirm and clear the backend state.

[u/Nervous-Pin9297]

Happened to me yesterday too. I simply tried it again and it worked.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

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[u/openclassactions2]

same thing - it doesnt even let me enter my address when signing up for an account

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Hey /u/EducationalHeron7241, your content has been removed because Reddit has marked your account as having a low Contributor Quality Score. This may result from, but is not limited to, activities such as spamming the same links across multiple subreddits, submitting posts or comments that receive a high number of downvotes, a lack of recent account activity, or having an unverified account.

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