Individual developer account (Bangladesh): can I sell a subscription and a durable add-on?

Because selling paid add-ons is commercial activity related to a trade or profession, publish the app and its yearly subscription and lifetime durable add-on from a Company developer account, even when the publisher is one person rather than an incorporated company.

1. Account type and paid add-ons

Policy 10.14 does not say that an add-on or subscription by itself requires a Company account. Instead, it requires a Company account for organizations, businesses, and anyone acting in relation to their trade or profession; Individual accounts are intended for a developer working independently outside a business, trade, or profession. A Company account is also mandatory when financial information is required for the app’s primary functionality or the app/publisher appears to be a business entity.^1^

Microsoft’s developer-account guidance expressly places independent developers and freelancers distributing commercially in relation to their trade or profession under Company accounts. Individual accounts are described as appropriate for hobby, amateur, school, personal, or other non-commercial projects.^2^

For the proposed products:

• Choose Subscription for the yearly recurring add-on.
• Choose Durable and leave Product lifetime as Forever for the one-time lifetime unlock.^3^
• Subscription add-ons are purchased inside the app, not directly from the Store listing. The subscription period cannot be changed after publication.^4^

Bangladesh is listed as a Microsoft Store consumer market, and Microsoft Store payouts are supported there; PayPal payouts are not listed for Bangladesh.^5^ ^6^

2. Sole proprietor and Bangladesh trade licence

A Company developer account does not require a corporation: the onboarding guidance includes independent developers and freelancers. However, the publisher must pass business verification as a legally registered business.^2^

A sole proprietor should therefore enroll using the legal business name and address appearing on the government records, not an informal publisher name:

1. Start company onboarding through the Store developer site and select Company account.
2. Supply either:
   • a DUNS number, or
   • official business documentation.
3. Ensure the legal name and address entered in Partner Center match the documents exactly.
4. Provide the required work-email/domain evidence; Microsoft may request domain ownership documentation when the email domain does not match the business domain.^7^

A government-issued business registration or licence is a documented category of acceptable verification evidence.^8^ However, the Store-specific verification rules distinguish:

• Primary evidence: formation documents or a certificate of incorporation/registration.
• Secondary evidence: current tax records, government-registry records, leases, financial-institution or utility statements, or DUNS certification when older primary evidence needs proof of continuing activity.

Documents generally must have been issued within the previous 12 months; if they expire, they must remain valid for at least two months after submission.^9^

Therefore, a Bangladesh trade licence is potentially usable as a government-issued business licence, but the documentation does not guarantee that every Bangladesh trade licence alone will satisfy Store vetting. If it is not treated as primary registration evidence, submit it together with the sole-proprietorship registration or equivalent formation/registration record and current supporting evidence.

3. Moving the reserved MSIX name

Partner Center has no documented self-service procedure for transferring a reserved MSIX product or name between developer accounts. A reserved name is attached to the product identity in the account that reserved it; merely creating the Company account does not move it.

Take these steps:

1. Create and complete verification of the new Company account.
2. Do not close the Individual account first. Closing releases app names for possible use by another developer, creating a risk that someone else reserves the name.^10^
3. Open a Windows developer-support case and request that Microsoft move/reparent the unpublished product or release and assign its reserved name to the new publisher.
4. Include:
   • reserved app name;
   • Store/product ID, if already assigned;
   • source and destination publisher/seller details;
   • confirmation that both accounts are controlled by the same developer;
   • confirmation that the app is unpublished;
   • reason for changing account type.

Since Engage Center does not load with the current Microsoft account, use the separate Windows developer-support ticket entry identified in the official onboarding guidance.^7^ The Windows support page also provides separate links for personal Microsoft accounts and Entra ID accounts.^11^

Avoid deleting the reservation and attempting to reserve it immediately in the new account unless support explicitly directs that procedure; name availability is not guaranteed after release.

References

1. Microsoft Store Policies
2. Get started with Microsoft Store
3. Create an app submission for your add-on
4. Enable subscription add-ons for your app
5. Define markets for add-ons
6. Payment thresholds, methods, and time frames
7. Steps to open a developer account
8. Understand the verification process in Partner Center
9. What is the “Know Your Business Customer” requirement for company accounts?
10. Close your developer account in Partner Center
11. Help and guidance for Windows developers