How to Publish an iOS App on the App Store from Nepal

Short answer: To publish an iOS app from Nepal, enroll in the Apple Developer Program as an individual (or as an organization with a D-U-N-S Number if you have a registered private limited company) and pay the USD 99 yearly fee with a dollar card from a Nepali bank. For paid apps, sign the Paid Apps Agreement, submit your W-8 tax form and add a Nepali bank account in App Store Connect, expecting a 5 percent advance income tax on payments. Then test on TestFlight and submit for App Review.

Building the app is only part of the job. To get it on the App Store from Nepal you also have to enroll in the Apple Developer Program, pay a US dollar fee under Nepal's foreign exchange rules, set up banking so Apple can pay you, and pass App Review. I have worked on iOS apps at Yarsa Labs in Pokhara since 2019, and these are the steps that trip up developers here most often. Fees and card limits change, so check the official pages linked at the end before you pay.

What You Need Before You Start

A Mac with a recent version of Xcode. Since April 28, 2026, Apple requires App Store uploads to be built with Xcode 26 or later using the iOS 26 SDK.
An Apple Account with two-factor authentication turned on, in your legal name as it appears on your citizenship certificate or passport. Apple warns that nicknames and aliases delay enrollment.
A physical address and phone number. Apple does not accept P.O. boxes.
A way to pay USD 99, which from Nepal usually means an international card from a Nepali bank.

Individual or Organization Enrollment

Individual. You enroll as yourself and your legal name appears as the seller on the App Store. This suits students, freelancers and anyone testing an idea, and it needs no company documents. You can enroll on the website or in the Apple Developer app on iPhone.

Organization. Your company appears as the seller and you can add team members. Apple only accepts legal entities, not trade names, branches or sole proprietorships, so a sole proprietorship firm in Nepal has to enroll as an individual. A registered private limited company can enroll as an organization. The person enrolling needs legal authority to sign for the company, a work email on the company's domain, and a working company website on that domain. A Facebook page does not count.

Getting a D-U-N-S Number for a Nepali Company

Organizations need a D-U-N-S Number, a nine digit identifier from Dun & Bradstreet that Apple uses to verify your company's legal name and address. Individuals and government entities do not need one.

Request it for free through Apple's D-U-N-S lookup tool. Apple says D&B can take up to five business days to issue it, plus up to two business days for Apple to receive it. The legal name and address you enter must match your company registration documents exactly.

How Much the Apple Developer Program Costs in Nepal

The Apple Developer Program costs USD 99 per year. Apple shows local prices in some regions, but it has no online store for Nepal, and in that case Apple shows a plain credit card form. Expect a US dollar charge.

At Nepal Rastra Bank's selling rate of about NPR 153.9 per dollar on 29 September 2026, USD 99 is roughly NPR 15,200. Your bank uses its own card rate and may add fees, so keep a buffer. The fee renews yearly, and if your membership lapses your apps stop being available. Fee waivers exist only for nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities.

Paying the Apple Developer Fee from Nepal

Regular NPR debit cards generally do not work for foreign online payments. Most developers here use a dollar card: a prepaid USD card or a card linked to a foreign currency account, issued by a Nepali commercial or development bank.

Nepal Rastra Bank first allowed these prepaid cards in 2021, with a limit of USD 500 per person per year, KYC and PAN required, and one card per person. That already covers the USD 99 fee. In April 2026, Techmandu and Bizness News reported an NRB amendment raising the prepaid card limit to USD 3,000 a year for businesses buying software and IT services, with more for IT exporters. Some sites also reported that the individual cap was relaxed, but I could not confirm that from an official NRB source, so ask your bank for your current limit.

Use a card in your own name. For individual enrollment on the web, Apple requires your own card. Using someone else's card delays enrollment and Apple may ask for government photo ID.
Ask your bank to enable international e-commerce on the card if it is not on by default.
Enter the billing address exactly as your bank has it. Mismatched addresses are a common reason for declines.
Load a little more than USD 99. Some banks add charges, and Apple may run a small authorization.

If the card is declined, call your bank first, since declines usually come from the issuer. Then try the other enrollment route (web or the Apple Developer app), and after that contact Apple Developer Support with your enrollment ID. A successful payment should bring a confirmation email within 24 hours.

Getting Paid: Agreements, Tax and Banking

Free apps need nothing extra. To sell paid apps, subscriptions or in-app purchases, complete three things in App Store Connect under Business:

Sign the Paid Apps Agreement.
Submit US tax forms. A questionnaire leads non-US developers to the right form, usually the W-8BEN for individuals or W-8BEN-E for companies.
Add a bank account. One primary account, with the holder name exactly as your bank has it, in English letters.

Nepali bank accounts are supported. Apple's help page on receiving payments has a note just for Nepal: with a Nepal-based bank account, the local correspondent bank deducts a 5 percent advance income tax from Apple's payments and pays it to Nepal's tax authority. Apple says the rate may change and that it does not handle this deduction itself.

App Store Connect asks you to find your bank by its bank code, and Apple says that if your bank does not appear, it may not be able to pay that bank. Ask your bank beforehand for the SWIFT code, the details for receiving international transfers, and which currency the account accepts.

Apple pays within 45 days of the end of each Apple fiscal month.
Nepal is not in Apple's table of special thresholds, so the default applies: earnings must exceed USD 40 before Apple pays out.
Apple's standard commission is 30 percent. New developers, and those with up to USD 1 million in proceeds last year, can apply to the App Store Small Business Program for 15 percent. It is not automatic.

Preparing Screenshots, Metadata and Privacy Details

Screenshots. You need one set for the large iPhone size: either 6.9-inch (for example 1320 x 2868 pixels in portrait) or 6.5-inch (1284 x 2778). If your app runs on iPad, you also need 13-inch iPad screenshots (2064 x 2752). Upload 1 to 10 per size, PNG or JPEG, no transparency, showing the real app.
Name, subtitle, keywords and description. Say plainly what the app does, use words people in Nepal actually search for, and add a Nepali localization if the app supports Nepali.
Privacy policy URL and support URL. Both must load. A broken link is a common rejection.
App Privacy details. The privacy label on your listing. Declare each type of data collected, its purpose, whether it is linked to the user, and whether it is used for tracking, including data collected by third-party SDKs such as analytics and ad networks.
Privacy manifests. Your app and many third-party SDKs include a privacy manifest file. Keep SDKs updated so their manifests are current.
Age rating and export compliance. Answer the age rating and encryption questions honestly. Apps that only use standard HTTPS usually qualify for the encryption exemption.

Uploading Your Build and Passing App Review

Archive the app in Xcode, upload it, and test through TestFlight first. Apple's guidelines keep betas on TestFlight, not the App Store.

If the app needs a login, give the reviewer a working demo account and keep your backend online. Do not assume the reviewer can use a Nepali phone number, a local wallet or a location in Nepal; if a feature depends on these, explain it in the review notes and provide a demo mode or video.

Apple says about 90 percent of submissions are reviewed in under 24 hours. If rejected, fix the cited guideline and reply in App Store Connect, or file an appeal (one per rejection) if you think the reviewer is wrong.

Common App Store Rejection Reasons

Apple says more than 40 percent of unresolved issues fall under guideline 2.1. Check these first:

2.1 App Completeness: crashes, placeholder text or images, broken links, missing demo account details.
2.3 Accurate Metadata: screenshots or descriptions that do not match what the app actually does.
4.2 Minimum Functionality: an app that is only a website in a web view, or has too little to do.
4.3 Spam: near-identical apps, such as one copy per city in Nepal. Ship one app instead.
3.1.1 In-App Purchase: digital features and content must be sold through in-app purchase, not license keys or outside payment. Physical goods and real-world services are exempt.
5.1.1 Data Collection and Storage: missing privacy policy, vague permission prompts, or no way to delete an account from inside the app when the app lets users create one.
4.8 Login Services: Google or Facebook login for the main account needs an equivalent privacy-friendly option alongside it, such as Sign in with Apple.

Official Resources and Sources

Summary

Enroll as an individual, or as an organization with a D-U-N-S Number if you have a registered private limited company. Pay the USD 99 yearly fee with a dollar card from a Nepali bank. For paid apps, sign the Paid Apps Agreement, submit your W-8 form, and add a Nepali bank account that App Store Connect can find, expecting a 5 percent advance income tax on payments. Then prepare honest screenshots, a working privacy policy and accurate privacy details, test on TestFlight, and check guideline 2.1 before you submit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I pay the Apple Developer fee from Nepal? Use a dollar card from a Nepali bank, in your own name, with international e-commerce enabled and a little more than USD 99 loaded.

How much is an Apple Developer account in Nepal? It is USD 99 per year. At Nepal Rastra Bank's rate in late September 2026 that is roughly NPR 15,200, plus any card fees your bank charges.

Can I receive App Store payments in a Nepali bank account? Yes. Apple's documentation covers Nepal-based accounts and notes a 5 percent advance income tax deducted by the local correspondent bank. Confirm the SWIFT code and account currency with your bank first.

Do I need a D-U-N-S Number to publish an app from Nepal? Only if you enroll as an organization. Individuals do not need one. Sole proprietorships are not accepted as organizations, so enroll those as an individual.

How long does App Store review take? Apple says around 90 percent of submissions are reviewed within 24 hours. Organization enrollment takes longer because of D-U-N-S verification.

What is the most common reason apps get rejected? Guideline 2.1, App Completeness. Crashes, placeholder content, broken privacy or support links and missing demo accounts cause more rejections than anything else.