Ask HN: Can't publish on the Play Store without a physical office?

I'm in the process of registering for the app stores (Google/Apple), and both now require a D-U-N-S number. I applied for one, and a few weeks later, I received a link from "Truepic Vision" asking me to download an app to verify my business address.

I have a registered business in Delaware but no physical office. In fact, I've been traveling for the past few months and don’t have a fixed address. I'm wondering if anyone else — especially digital nomads — has faced this situation, and how you managed to solve it.

6 points | by olalonde 19 hours ago

4 comments

  • yen223 3 hours ago
    Is this Truepic Vision thing a US requirement?

    I signed up for a virtual office here in Sydney, and obtained a DUNS number using that address with no issue. This was last year.

  • mcsniff 12 hours ago
    I have a registered agent as my office (they provide a "physical" address for use) with D&B for D-U-N-S with no issues, and same address on Google Play and Apple App Store.

    Never used this TruePic Vision app either, is this a new requirement?

    [-]
    • olalonde 6 hours ago
      I guess it is, I just applied last month. When did you get your D-U-N-S number?
  • callamdelaney 5 hours ago
    We tried to verify our online only e-commerce store on google, they have since said that since we have no physical store they won’t verify us and deleted our 50+ 5 star reviews. Meanwhile our competitors and defunct businesses I registered a decade ago and operated for a year still show as verified.

    Joke of a process, good luck

  • caprock 19 hours ago
    You can pay a small fee to have a "registered agent" service and that can include an address you can use.
    [-]
    • olalonde 18 hours ago
      I do have a registered agent but D-U-N-S does not accept registered agent or P.O. addresses. Plus, I have to physically take a picture of the office/address using the TrueVision app.
      [-]
      • MollyRealized 14 hours ago
        Just as a small bit of information, Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) does this because they are called upon to assess risk and prevent fraud - it's about 10 times more likely with virtual addresses or registered agents.
        [-]
        • olalonde 14 hours ago
          I guess it raises the cost of fraud a bit (e.g. having to be physically present in the US during the DUNS application). But I'm wondering what kind of fraud the Play Store is trying to prevent with that requirement. Malware?