Business Identity questions

Register the Company developer account using the legal business identity that exists and can be verified today; do not enter only a DBA unless official records authorize that business to operate under the DBA, and do not assume a future LLC can simply replace the current legal entity.

Registering now under a DBA

Partner Center Company accounts may publish under an organization’s legal or trade name, but Microsoft verifies the underlying business and employment information before publishing is enabled.^1^

1. Start at the Microsoft Store developer site and select Company account.
2. Enter the current business’s legal details.
   • If the business is presently a sole proprietorship using a DBA, enter the name exactly as supported by its government registration, business license, tax filing, or D‑U‑N‑S record.
   • Do not enter the future LLC name before that LLC legally exists.
3. Verify the business with either:
   • A D‑U‑N‑S number, or
   • Current official documents such as a business registration/license, government registry record, tax filing, or formation document.
4. Use a work email associated with the business domain. A domain mismatch can trigger a request for additional proof.
5. Complete verification and monitor Verification Summary for requests or status changes.^2^

The submitted name and address must match official registration records exactly. Partner Center verifies both that the business is legally registered and that the account information is accurate.^3^

Changing to the LLC later

There are two materially different cases:

• Same legal entity, updated trade name: This can generally be handled as a profile update followed by renewed verification.
• Sole proprietorship/DBA becomes a newly formed LLC: An LLC is normally a new legal entity, not merely a spelling or trade-name update. The published Partner Center documentation does not confirm that ownership of a Windows Store developer account can be transferred to that new entity through the normal profile editor.

For an editable developer-profile change, an Owner or Manager can go to:

Partner Center → Settings → Account settings → Legal info → Developer

Update the available company/contact and verification information, then save it. Microsoft reassesses the changed information; developer profiles currently use the legacy account-settings experience.^4^

Changing key details such as the company name, address, or email domain restarts verification, and prior appeal history is not carried forward.^2^

Before forming the LLC

Open a Windows developer support case and ask Microsoft to classify the change as either:

1. An update to the existing developer legal profile, or
2. A change to a different legal entity requiring a new Company developer account and migration guidance.

Include the existing account’s Seller ID/Publisher ID, current legal identity, proposed LLC name, formation jurisdiction, and whether published apps already exist. Dev Center support handles Partner Center enrollment and account-management issues.^5^

If Microsoft requires a new account, create another Company account for the LLC rather than an Individual account. Partner Center does not support changing an Individual developer account into a Company developer account.^2^

References

1. Revamped company onboarding experience with zero registration fees
2. Steps to open a developer account
3. Understand the verification process in Partner Center
4. Verify or update your company profile information
5. Help and guidance for Windows developers