Microsoft Store Individual Developer – Tax ID Required

Do not enter a fabricated Afghan TIN; open a Dev Center support case through the direct Microsoft Store publisher link so the support team can determine how the mandatory field must be handled for an Afghan individual.

Open the correct Store support case

“Windows Developer Center” does not need to appear in the general Engage Center product list when the program-specific Store publisher link is used. Microsoft provides separate links based on the account type used for Partner Center ^1^:

• Personal Microsoft account (MSA)—typically Outlook.com, Hotmail, or another personal sign-in:
  Open Dev Center support for MSA users
• Microsoft Entra ID work account:
  Open Dev Center support for Entra ID users

Sign in with the same account associated with the Store developer enrollment. Describe the case as:

Individual Microsoft Store developer resident in Afghanistan. Partner Center requires a Tax ID, but no Afghan TIN has been issued to me. Please confirm the supported entry or exemption workflow for this country and account type. I will not enter a placeholder or another person’s identifier.

Attach:

• A screenshot showing the mandatory field and page title.
• The tax-profile status and any displayed error.
• Confirmation that the account type is Individual and the residence country is Afghanistan.
• Whether the field is in the local business/profile section or inside the IRS tax form.
• The seller ID if requested in the secure case—do not post it publicly.

If the direct link still does not expose case creation, use Partner Center → Help/AI assistant → Contact Support → Review solutions → Create support request. The available problem types depend on the current workspace, so open Help while in the relevant Marketplace/Store workspace ^2^.

What the tax documentation establishes

For a non-U.S. publisher, Partner Center normally presents an IRS W-8 form. A U.S. ITIN is explicitly not required to receive Microsoft payments or claim treaty benefits ^3^.

However, the published instructions do not document an Afghanistan-specific way to bypass a mandatory foreign/local TIN field. Therefore:

• Do not interpret the “ITIN isn’t required” statement as permission to leave every Tax ID field empty.
• Do not enter zeros, a national identity number, or an invented value unless Dev Center support explicitly instructs you to do so.
• If support says a government-issued local identifier is required, ask which Afghan authority and document type Partner Center accepts. Microsoft also recommends consulting the relevant local authority for country-specific tax information ^3^.

After support confirms the correct handling, return to:

1. Partner Center → Settings → Account settings.
2. Select Payout and tax profile assignment.
3. Select the applicable program and seller ID, then Edit.
4. Create or select the tax profile and complete the country-specific form.
5. On the confirmation page, select Finish first, then Complete.
6. Expect Pending Microsoft Validation, followed by Complete when accepted; validation can take up to 48 hours ^3^.

You need the Owner or Financial Contributor role to manage the seller account’s tax profile. If the account only publishes free offers and has no paid products or add-ons, Microsoft states that a tax form and payout profile are not required; this does not apply if the app is transactable ^3^.

References

1. Help and guidance for Windows developers
2. Get help and contact support in Partner Center
3. Set up Microsoft Marketplace payout and tax profiles