Enrollment blocked: identity verification linked to an Apple Account I cannot identify

Question

Created 2w

Replies 3

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Participants 4

I'm trying to enroll in the Apple Developer Program as an individual and I'm stuck at a point I can't get past on my own.

What happens

The ID scan step in the Apple Developer App completes successfully. After that, when I sign in with my account, I get "We could not complete your enrollment."

Developer Support told me the reason: my identity has already been verified under a different Apple Account, and per Apple's policy the same identity cannot be verified again on a second account.

The problem is that I cannot identify that other account. I have used the same Apple Account since 2018 and have no recollection of ever creating a second one.

What I have already checked

Every device I own (iPhone, iPad, Mac). All are signed in to the same Apple Account. No other account appears anywhere.
My entire email history, including archived, spam and deleted mail. Every message from Apple since 2018 was sent to the same address. There is no trace of any other Apple Account.
iCloud Keychain and saved credentials in all browsers I use. No other Apple Account is stored.
Family Sharing members. Nothing relevant.
I submitted over twenty candidate email addresses to Developer Support. All came back as no match.

Support responses so far

Both email and phone support gave me the same answer: nothing can be done unless I provide the email address of the other account. I offered to provide my device serial number and other identifying information, but no alternative lookup method was offered.

A possible explanation

I found a thread here describing a case where someone had enrolled years earlier under an account they later deleted via privacy.apple.com, and the identity verification remained linked to that deleted account rather than being released with it.

If something similar applies to me, the account I am being asked to identify no longer exists, which would explain why no trace of it can be found anywhere.

What I'm asking

Has anyone had the identity verification association reset by Apple? If so, what did it take?
Is there a way to have Apple look up the associated account from a device serial number or other identifying information, rather than requiring the email address up front?
Has anyone resolved a case involving a deleted Apple Account retaining the verification link?

Answer 1

Apple Developer Support OP

Apple

1w

Hello,

Developer Support is currently reviewing your case that you have opened, they will get back to you soon.

Please understand we are unable to discuss account-specific information in the Developer Forums.

Best regards,

Developer Support

Answer 2

boysimon10 OP

1w

I’m facing the exact same issue and unfortunately still have no solution.

Apple Developer Support told me that my identity has already been verified under another Apple Account, but I have used the same Apple Account for years and cannot identify any other account linked to me.

I went through the same checks: devices, emails, saved credentials, etc., and provided multiple possible email addresses to Support, but none matched.

My case is 20000143970410. The case was eventually closed without a solution, with Apple still requiring me to provide the email address of the other account.

At this point, I’m also wondering whether the verification could be linked to an old/deleted Apple Account, or whether there is another way for Apple to locate and release the verification association.

If anyone has managed to resolve this, I’d really appreciate knowing how.

Answer 3

adevlp OP

6d

The "already verified on a different Apple Account" error when that account cannot be identified is a documented situation. Apple's identity verification links to the government ID itself, and deleting an Apple Account does not automatically release that link. The associated account may have been deleted or terminated without the verification link being cleared.

A few things that have helped others in similar cases:

Ask Support to escalate, not close. When a case gets closed with "provide the other account's email," that is a dead end if you genuinely do not have that email. Ask to be escalated to the Developer Program Account Resolution team specifically, and ask them to look up the linked account by government ID, not by email address. They have that capability internally.

Provide device serial numbers. If you have ever set up a device and gone through Apple verification on it, even just signing in with a different Apple ID, that serial can sometimes be used to cross-reference enrollment history. Share serial numbers of older devices with Support.

Reference the closed case explicitly. If case 20000143970410 was closed without a solution, open a new case and cite that number. Ask specifically whether the verification is linked to a terminated or deleted account. If so, there is a separate internal path to release it.

The fix has to come from Apple's side. There is no user-side resolution, but the escalation path does exist.