What is a D-U-N-S number? How to get one free
A D-U-N-S number is a nine-digit identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet for a legal entity. Apple uses it when verifying a company that registers for Apple Business. Many companies already have one; if you do not, you can request it free through Apple's lookup tool, without buying a paid package.
What a D-U-N-S number is for
D-U-N-S (Data Universal Numbering System) is a nine-digit identifier Dun & Bradstreet issues for a legal entity at an address. Apple uses it to match a company that registers for Apple Business. A Vietnamese tax ID does not replace it.
A shop needs this number once, when opening Apple's portal. You reuse it if Apple asks again. You do not print it on a retail customer's invoice.
ABMDM, operated by ISHI KOI FARM COMPANY LIMITED, has its own D-U-N-S number in the site footer. Your company must have its own number. Do not use the MDM vendor's number.
Look up before you request a new one
D&B may already have issued a number when the company appeared in commercial data. Use the D-U-N-S lookup on Apple's account help pages, choose Vietnam, and enter the legal name and head-office address in Latin characters.
If you see the right company, record the number and compare the name and address with the licence. If they match, use that number for Apple Business.
If you do not see the company, request a new number. Do not buy a credit report only to obtain the identifier.
How to request it free
Apple describes a free flow: look up the organisation; if it is missing, submit the legal name, head-office address, mailing address and work contact details. D&B may call about business type and headcount. Keep the licence ready.
Apple states that after you submit, allow up to five business days for D&B to issue the number, and that paying to expedite does not shorten that wait. If more than two weeks pass with no result, contact D&B using the instructions on Apple's page. After you have the number, allow up to two business days for Apple to receive the data from D&B, then enrol as an organisation.
Keep the D&B email. Do not give an Apple password to anyone who claims they can “issue a D-U-N-S overnight”.
If someone tries to sell you a rush package
Some local D&B contacts sell faster packages or a company report. Those products do not replace the free flow Apple describes for company enrolment.
If you are asked for a few hundred dollars to “have a number in two days”, stop and go back to Apple's lookup tool. Pay only if you independently want another D&B product — not because Apple requires it.
Using the number for Apple Business
When the number is on Apple's side, enter it in the Apple Business file with the legal name exactly. If the name does not match the licence, fix D&B first, wait for Apple to receive the update, then send again.
Next, follow how to register for Apple Business and the guides on this site. The filing service (13,000,000 VND) includes the D-U-N-S step and is listed on pricing.
How to spell the name and address so they match
Apple's lookup asks for Latin characters. Write the legal name without Vietnamese diacritics, in the order on an English licence if you have one, or a stable transcription (for example CONG TY TNHH…). Use the same spelling when you request the number and when you file for Apple Business.
Head-office address: house number, street, ward, province as on the licence. A D-U-N-S number is tied to a location. A branch at another address may have a different number. Apple Business uses the legal entity's head-office number, not the number of a rented shop.
The contact should be a real name, a company email and a phone that will be answered. D&B may call. Do not put a Zalo OA number.
Where to keep the number once you have it
Store the D-U-N-S number with the licence, tax ID and the D&B email in the company file. Both the person who opens Apple Business and the accountant should know where it lives. Do not post the number on a retail website.
When you change head office or legal name, update D&B first. Apple takes time to receive new data; do not file Apple Business under the new name while D&B still has the old one.
If you lose the issue email, look the company up again in Apple's tool. If you see the right entity, reuse that number. Do not request a second number for the same address.
D-U-N-S sits beside the tax ID; it does not replace it
VAT invoices, business-licence tax and digital signatures still use Vietnam's tax ID. D-U-N-S appears when Apple (and some international partners) ask for a legal-entity identifier.
Accounting does not need to print D-U-N-S on a retail invoice. The person who opens Apple Business needs it on the form. Keep both files in one cupboard: licence + tax ID + D-U-N-S + Apple approval email.
When a bank or overseas partner asks for D-U-N-S, give the same number you used for Apple, with the same legal name. Do not create a new number “to look better”. One legal entity at one head office should keep one stable number.
A shop that is not yet a legal entity, selling only under a personal name, will struggle to register for Apple Business. Finish business registration first, then request D-U-N-S.
All articles · What is MDM? Mobile device management for business · What is Apple Business? The change from April 2026 · How to register Apple Business in Vietnam
Frequently asked questions
Is a D-U-N-S number the same as a tax ID?
No. The tax ID is Vietnam's identifier. D-U-N-S is Dun & Bradstreet's nine-digit number, used when Apple verifies a legal entity.
Does requesting a D-U-N-S number cost money?
Requesting it through Apple's lookup tool for Apple Business is free. Paid “rush” packages do not shorten the wait Apple publishes.
Can we open Apple Business as soon as we have the number?
Not always. Apple says to allow up to two business days after D&B issues the number for Apple's systems to receive the data. After that you enrol the organisation.
What if the company name on D-U-N-S differs from the licence?
Fix it so it matches the licence before you send it to Apple. A name or address mismatch gets the file returned. Ask D&B to update, then wait for Apple to receive the new data.
What if a household business has no D-U-N-S number yet?
Look it up first. If it is missing, send the legal-entity details through Apple's free flow. Keep the licence ready if D&B calls. If you need someone to file, see the Apple Business registration service on the pricing page.
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