For Ukrainian companies, participation in international tenders increasingly requires not only a high-quality commercial proposal but also standardised international business identification. One of the most widely used identifiers is the D-U-N-S Number — a unique nine-digit number assigned to companies within the global Dun & Bradstreet system.
The D-U-N-S Number is used by international corporations, financial institutions, procurement platforms, and certain government and donor organisations to unambiguously identify a legal entity. For a Ukrainian company, having such a number may be necessary when registering in a supplier system, undergoing due diligence, or submitting documents to participate in a tender.
“An international tender does not begin with the price. First, the customer must make sure that it is dealing with a genuine legal entity with a verified name, address, and business profile. The D-U-N-S Number helps connect a Ukrainian company to the global business identification system and simplifies its verification by international partners,” Maksym Urakin noted.
Before obtaining or updating a D-U-N-S Number, a company should verify the correct English-language spelling of its legal name, address, legal form, contact details, and management information. Discrepancies between registration documents, the corporate website, and the international profile may delay verification.
The D-U-N-S Number is particularly relevant for companies seeking to become suppliers to large international groups, work with global IT platforms, participate in procurement by donor organisations, or systematically enter the markets of the EU, the United States, and other countries.
At the same time, the number itself is not a certificate of reliability and does not guarantee success in a tender. Its function is to ensure the unambiguous identification of a business and link a legal entity to an international business profile that the customer can use during verification.
Dun & Bradstreet maintains the global D-U-N-S business identification system and develops solutions for company verification, risk assessment, compliance, and supplier management. In Ukraine, companies may contact the D&B — Interfax-Ukraine division regarding the obtaining and updating of a D-U-N-S Number.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international provider of business data and analytical solutions whose history began in 1841. D&B works with data on companies worldwide and provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, credit and commercial risk assessment, compliance, and supply chain management.
The official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in Ukraine is the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency. The specialised D&B — Interfax-Ukraine division provides Ukrainian companies with access to international business data, helps them verify foreign counterparties, and assists them in working with D&B tools.
Enquiries can be submitted through the specialised D&B resource at dnb.ua, by email at Urakin@interfax.kyiv.ua, or by telephone at +38 (044) 270-65-74.
BUSINESS VERIFICATION, D-U-N-S Number, DUN & BRADSTREET, INTERNATIONAL TENDERS
If you are creating your own application and registering a corporate developer account in the Apple App Store or Google Play, you will most likely be required to provide a D-U-N-S Number when completing the documentation. For many Ukrainian technology companies, this requirement comes as a surprise at the final stage of launching a product.
A D-U-N-S Number, also known as a DUNS number, is a unique nine-digit identifier of a legal entity in the international Dun & Bradstreet system. It allows digital platforms, banks, investors and foreign partners to compare information about a company and verify that it is genuinely registered, has a confirmed address and a defined legal status.
Apple requires a D-U-N-S Number when registering a company or another organisation in the Apple Developer Program. The corporation uses it to verify the applicant’s legal name, address and status.
The company must be an independent legal entity capable of entering into agreements with Apple. A trademark, project name, branch or conventional commercial name is not suitable for such registration. It is the official name of the legal entity that will be displayed in the App Store as the seller of the application.
In addition to a D-U-N-S Number, the organisation will need:
If the application is registered by an individual or an independent developer, Apple does not require a D-U-N-S Number. However, in this case, the developer’s personal name, rather than the name of the company or brand, will be indicated in the App Store as the seller.
Google also requires a D-U-N-S Number when creating a developer account on behalf of an organisation. The number is used to verify the company together with the Google payment profile data, official registration documents and the identity document of the authorised representative.
An organisational account is recommended for companies that release commercial products. For financial applications, cryptocurrency wallets, healthcare services, VPN applications and government digital products, Google explicitly requires registration on behalf of an organisation.
During registration, the data in Google Payments, the developer profile and the Dun & Bradstreet database must match. Differences in the spelling of the company name, address, postal code or legal form may result in additional verification or a delay in activating the account.
A D-U-N-S Number is not a licence, quality certificate or guarantee that an application will be approved. Apple and Google independently verify the software product, compliance with platform rules, security and developer information.
However, obtaining the number creates an international company profile that can be used far beyond the App Store and Google Play. Foreign corporations use D-U-N-S when registering suppliers, checking counterparties, granting commercial credit and organising international procurement. The identifier may also be required during negotiations with investors, banks, distributors and major customers.
“A D-U-N-S Number gives a company the opportunity to be recognisable in the international environment and reduces the barrier of first contact,” said Maksym Urakin, Director for Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine and Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit.
According to him, it is particularly important for Ukrainian IT companies to create a verifiable digital profile in advance. A developer may have a high-quality product and a strong team, but for an American platform, it is initially an unknown legal entity whose data must be verified.
A D-U-N-S Number helps link the application not only to the account of a specific programmer, but also to an officially registered Ukrainian company. This is important for further scaling, attracting investment, selling corporate subscriptions and entering the markets of the United States, the EU, the Middle East and Asia.
Before submitting an application, the company should prepare the official name of the legal entity in Ukrainian and English, its registered address, contact telephone number, information about the manager, legal form, registration date and information on the number of employees.
Before applying for a new number, it is necessary to check whether a D-U-N-S Number has already been assigned to the company. If the number exists but the profile contains outdated information, it is better to update the data rather than create a new record.
Particular attention should be paid to the English spelling of the company name and address. This information must be displayed identically in D&B, registration documents, Apple Developer, Google Payments and on the corporate website.
Obtaining the number does not always happen instantly. Apple recommends allowing up to five business days for the assignment of a D-U-N-S Number through its associated process and up to two additional days for the updated data to be transferred to its system. In other cases, international processing of the application may take several weeks, so it is better to begin the procedure before the planned publication of the application.
The official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in the Ukrainian market is the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Its specialised D&B-Interfax-Ukraine unit helps companies obtain a D-U-N-S Number and work with the international business data database.
Specialists can help check whether a number has already been assigned, prepare information about the legal entity, submit an application and eliminate discrepancies in the corporate profile. At the same time, the final decision on registering a developer account is made directly by Apple or Google.
For information on obtaining a D-U-N-S Number, companies may contact the specialised D&B resource at dnb.ua or call +38 (044) 270-65-74.
For Ukrainian developers, a D-U-N-S Number is becoming a practical element of entering the international digital market. The sooner a company brings its legal documents, website, corporate email and international business profile into alignment, the lower the risk of delays when launching an application in the App Store or Google Play.
Ukrainian companies that plan to attract financing, work with deferred payment, or expand international sales need to pay greater attention to the assessment of credit and commercial risks. For foreign banks, insurance companies, suppliers, and buyers, the quality of data about a counterparty is becoming a key factor in decision-making.
Dun & Bradstreet solutions make it possible to assess companies’ financial stability, their payment discipline, the risks of non-fulfilment of obligations, and their commercial history. Such data can be used both by Ukrainian companies themselves and by their potential partners. For businesses, this means that transparency is becoming a competitive advantage. A company that is easy to verify and understand has a better chance of obtaining better contract terms, financing, insurance, or trade credit. “In a world where capital has become more cautious, businesses must prove their reliability with data.
For Ukraine, this is especially important: the country has a high macro risk due to the war, so each individual company must reduce the information uncertainty surrounding it as much as possible,” Maksym Urakin noted. He stressed that systematic work with business data helps companies better manage their own risks and at the same time increases trust in them on the part of external partners. Dun & Bradstreet is an international company in the field of business data and analytics, founded in 1841. The company provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, assessment of credit and commercial risks, compliance, and supply chain analysis.
One of D&B’s key tools is the D-U-N-S Number — a unique nine-digit company identifier used in international business practice. In Ukraine, D&B’s interests are represented by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The partnership is aimed at expanding Ukrainian companies’ access to international business data, supporting exports, attracting financing, and integrating into global supply chains. Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating since 1992.
Ukrainian companies that enter foreign markets, work with international corporations, investors, banks or participate in tenders are increasingly facing the need to have a business identifier that is understandable to the world. One such tool is the D-U-N-S Number — a unique nine-digit company number in the global Dun & Bradstreet system.
The D-U-N-S Number is used to identify a legal entity, compare data about a company, verify its corporate profile and its links with other market participants. For a foreign partner, the presence of such an identifier simplifies the initial verification of a counterparty and reduces the number of manual procedures.
For Ukrainian exporters, manufacturers, service providers, technology companies and enterprises planning to attract international financing, the D-U-N-S Number can become part of a broader infrastructure of trust. It does not replace financial reporting, audit or compliance, but it helps a company be visible in global business systems.
“For Ukrainian business, after the start of the full-scale war, the issue of trust became no less important than the issue of price or quality. A foreign partner needs to quickly understand whom they are dealing with. The D-U-N-S Number gives a company the opportunity to be recognizable in the international environment and reduces the barrier of first contact,” said Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit, PhD in Economics.
According to him, for Ukraine’s recovery it is important that Ukrainian companies not only receive assistance, but also enter into international rules for working with data, transparency and counterparty verification.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international company in the field of business data and analytics, founded in 1841. The company provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, assessment of credit and commercial risks, compliance and supply chain analysis. One of D&B’s key tools is the D-U-N-S Number — a unique nine-digit company identifier used in international business practice. In Ukraine, D&B’s interests are represented by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The partnership is aimed at expanding Ukrainian companies’ access to international business data, supporting exports, attracting financing and integrating into global supply chains. Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating since 1992.
