How to Get a DUNS Number in Malaysia

What is a DUNS number?

A DUNS number is a nine-digit ID that Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) gives to a business. The letters stand for Data Universal Numbering System, which is why D&B writes it D-U-N-S. D&B has been issuing them since 1963.

The number is a reference to the business file D&B keeps on you. According to D&B Malaysia's D-U-N-S page, that file can hold your company name, address and phone number, links to your head office, branches and subsidiaries, and D&B's own scores and ratings. Your credit standing isn't hidden in the digits themselves, though. D&B says there's "no code built into the digits" that refers to your credit score.

You don't need one just to trade. D&B's own FAQ says a DUNS number isn't required to own or run a business, so most companies only go looking for one when somebody asks for it: Apple, Google Play, a big customer vetting its suppliers, or a tender.

DUNS vs SSM number, LHDN TIN, UEI and EIN

Most Malaysian businesses already carry an SSM number and an LHDN TIN before anyone asks about DUNS. None of them can stand in for another.

When a local form asks for your "company registration number", it means the SSM one. DUNS only comes up when a form asks for it by name.

DUNS number lookup: check if you already have one

Do this before anything else. D&B Malaysia asks you to search before you use its request form, and Apple's D-U-N-S help page points out that D&B may have assigned your organisation a number already.

Apple's D-U-N-S lookup (works for Malaysian companies)

D&B Malaysia's page names two search tools, and Apple's D-U-N-S lookup tool is the one open to anybody with an Apple Account. D&B Malaysia says you can use it to find your own company's number or another company's. You'll have to sign in before it opens.

It asks for your legal entity name, headquarters address, mailing address and work contact details. If your company isn't listed, Apple gives you the option to send your details to D&B for a free number. The full walk-through, with timings, is on the App Store and Google Play page.

D&B's free lookup and DBIA

D&B also has its own free D-U-N-S Number Lookup on dnb.com. D&B says it covers any company in its database, and Malaysia is in its country list. It's also where Google Play's help sends organisations to check. If it finds nothing, try Apple's tool as well before you request a new number.

The other tool D&B Malaysia names is the search inside DBIA (dbia.dnb.com), which only works if your company already has a DBIA account with them.

Looking for a supplier's or customer's number instead? D&B Malaysia won't search on your behalf, citing the volume of queries. Use the tools above, and if you can't, ask the company itself.

Why the search comes back empty

An empty result doesn't always mean you've never had a number. Go through these before you request a new one.

• You really don't have one. That's normal. D&B's lookup page says not every business has a number, and one has to be requested by a verified owner or officer.
• The phone number or address you typed doesn't match D&B's record. D&B warns that this alone can make a search fail. Try the address on your SSM profile, and your old address if you've moved.
• You searched a brand or shop name. Use the legal name exactly as SSM has it.
• Small spelling differences, like "Sdn. Bhd." against "Sdn Bhd", or "&" against "and".

Check inside the company too. If it already has an organisation account with Apple or Google Play, whoever set that up may have the number, since both platforms ask organisations for one (government bodies aside).

How to get a DUNS number: pick your route

It depends on who is asking for the number.

D&B's US self-serve form and its paid US express service aren't open to Malaysian companies. On D&B's "How to get a D-U-N-S Number" page, choosing "International-based business" and then general purposes leads to a country list, and Malaysia on that list goes to dnb.com.my.

Route 1: D&B Malaysia's request form

Use this route for anything that isn't Apple: Google Play, a tender, a customer's vendor form or an overseas partner.

1. Search first (see the lookup section above).
2. Open D&B Malaysia's D-U-N-S page and scroll to the form headed "Apply for D-U-N-S Number or Registered Seal". It asks for five things only: Name, Company Name, Email, Phone/Mobile and Remarks.
3. Use the Remarks box properly. The same form handles the Registered Seal, a separate D&B product, so say plainly that you want a DUNS number only, give your SSM registration number, and say what the number is for.
4. Wait for them to get in touch, with your SSM profile (and audited accounts, if you have them) to hand. D&B Malaysia says having these ready speeds things up.
5. Allow up to 30 working days from start to finish. That's the upper end they quote, and their office is closed on weekends and public holidays.

The form is the only request route they publish. For questions, their customer service address is csc@dnb.com.my, and there's an email template further down if you'd rather write first. The Contact Us page also has an enquiry form with "D-U-N-S Number" in its drop-down list, and promises a reply to that within 1 to 2 working days.

Route 2: Apple's enrolment (App Store)

If the number is for the Apple Developer Program, go through Apple. It's free and faster on paper (the timings are under How long it takes), but only legal entities qualify, which for most small businesses here means a Sdn Bhd or a PLT.

Step-by-step instructions, a date calculator and the fix for the "not listed as a legal entity" error are on the Apple Developer and Google Play guide.

If it's for Google Play Console

Google doesn't run a lookup of its own. Its Play Console help page points you to D&B, and D&B's page for Google developers links Malaysian businesses to D&B Malaysia's form. So it's Route 1 with a deadline attached. Google says getting a number can take up to 30 days and won't create an organisation account without one, so request it before you start setting up Play Console.

Documents to prepare

D&B Malaysia names only two documents, the first two below. The rest come from D&B's US application form and Apple's enrolment rules. Apple also warns that a D&B representative may contact you about details such as your business type or number of employees, so have those answers ready too.

PLT owners: D&B Malaysia's page only names ROC and ROB profiles. Have your PLT's SSM profile ready and confirm what they need when they contact you.

Sdn Bhd, Bhd, PLT or Enterprise: does it matter?

For D&B, less than you'd think, since D&B Malaysia takes both company (ROC) and business (ROB) profiles. For Apple it decides everything. Apple only accepts legal entities, and SSM's own comparison of business types says which ones are.

The awkward row is the ROB partnership. Apple's enrolment help lists partnerships among the organisations that enrol under their legal entity name, but its D-U-N-S page insists on a legal entity, and SSM says an ROB partnership isn't one. Ask Apple Developer Support before you start, rather than finding out halfway through enrolment.

How long does it take to get a DUNS number?

Every official figure is an "up to" estimate, and Apple itself tells you what to do if it takes more than two weeks. The quotes run from 7 business days on Apple's route (5 for the number, 2 for Apple to receive it) to 30 working days through D&B Malaysia, which is about six weeks.

Apple and D&B US quote business days, and D&B Malaysia quotes working days. Read both as weekdays only. The Malaysian office also closes on public holidays, so expect any holiday inside the window to push its date back.

The Apple and D&B Malaysia figures don't contradict each other. Apple's covers requests sent through its own lookup tool, while the Malaysian figure covers the general request form, where someone contacts you and your SSM documents help things along. Google's 28 to 30 days is its estimate for getting a number from D&B.

If there's a launch date riding on this, count working days, not calendar days. For Apple's route, the business-day calculator on the Apple page does the weekend counting for you.

Is a DUNS number free?

Yes. D&B says there's no charge to request and receive a DUNS number, and Apple's lookup sends you to D&B "for a free D-U-N-S Number". Apple hedges slightly on its enrolment help page, calling the numbers free "in most jurisdictions".

There's no fee for the number anywhere on D&B Malaysia's D-U-N-S page (checked 23 September 2026). If that worries you, ask in your request. The email template below does.

The amounts you'll see quoted online are for other things:

• US$229 is DUNSFile, an express service on D&B's US site that delivers a number within 8 business days. It's for US businesses; D&B tells companies outside the US to contact the D&B office in their country. It won't help with Apple either, because Apple says expediting doesn't shorten its 5-day wait.
• US$299.99 is the D-U-N-S Registered Seal on D&B's US site. More on that below.
• US$99 a year is the Apple Developer Program membership, listed in local currency when you enrol. You pay it with or without a DUNS number. Apple doesn't publish a ringgit price.

The D-U-N-S Registered Seal is a separate product

D&B Malaysia's D-U-N-S page puts the number and the D-U-N-S Registered Seal side by side, and one form serves both, so it's easy to think you're applying for a single package. You aren't. The number is just the nine digits. The seal is an add-on that the page calls a corporate "nod of approval". On D&B's US site it comes as a badge for your website plus a company profile in D&B's business directory.

You don't need the seal to get a number, and neither Apple nor Google asks for it. The Malaysian page gives no price for it. D&B's US site sells it for US$299.99 as a subscription that renews automatically.

Paid "DUNS registration" services

If an agent or website offers to register a DUNS number for you for a fee, ask what the fee actually buys. The number is free from D&B, and nothing in D&B's, Apple's or Google's instructions requires a middleman. The documents involved are ones you already have from SSM.

And never hand over your Apple Account login. Apple's organisation enrolment has to be done by someone who can legally bind the company.

After you get it

Keep the number with your SSM documents. It belongs to your company in D&B's records, not to Apple or Google, so the same number goes on every form that asks for it.

Does a DUNS number expire?

D&B says no. Its FAQ says your number will "never expire or change even if your business closes or is purchased by another company", and that you never have to buy anything to keep it.

Google's help is more careful. It describes cases where D&B assigns a new number to an existing profile, and profiles flagged as out of business. An out-of-business flag gets fixed with D&B. A changed number means contacting Play support.

Keeping your D&B details current

The number stays put, but the details behind it can go stale. Move office or change phone numbers and your D&B record falls out of step. That breaks lookups, and it matters for Google Play too: if Google finds your name or address no longer matches D&B, it gives you a deadline to fix it and restricts the account if you miss it.

If the number came through Apple's lookup, updates go through the D&B support form that Apple's help page links to, and D&B takes up to 2 business days to pass them on to Apple. For a record set up through D&B Malaysia, ask its customer service team.

One number per location

D&B numbers each location separately, so a branch can have its own number apart from head office, and a number is never handed to another business once it's assigned. For Apple, enrol the legal entity itself. Apple doesn't accept branches.

Contacting Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Malaysia

This is where Malaysian businesses request a number outside Apple's route. The details below were copied from D&B Malaysia's Contact Us page on 23 September 2026.

Email template for a DUNS request

Copy it, fill in each line after the colon, attach your SSM profile, and send it to csc@dnb.com.my with the subject line shown.

Dear D&B Malaysia Customer Service,

We would like to request a D-U-N-S Number for our company. We searched for our company first and did not find an existing number.

Legal name (as registered with SSM):
SSM registration number:
Business type (Sdn Bhd / Bhd / PLT / Enterprise / partnership):
Registered address:
Business address, if different:
Company phone number:
Year the business started:
Main business activity:
Number of employees (full-time and part-time):
Name of owner, director or CEO:
Contact person and position:
What we need the number for:

We only need the D-U-N-S Number, not the D-U-N-S Registered Seal. Could you also confirm whether there is any charge?

Attached: our SSM Company Profile (ROC) or Business Profile (ROB), and our latest audited financial report (if available).

Thank you.

Regards,

Sources

All checked on 23 September 2026. Where a page shows its own update date, it's noted.

1. D&B: How to get a D-U-N-S NumberFree to request, up to 30 business days, application details, FAQ. Page modified 24 June 2026.
2. D&B: DUNSFile expedited service (US)US$229, 8 business days, non-US businesses sent to local offices. Page modified 9 February 2026.
3. D&B: D-U-N-S Numbers and companiesIssued since 1963, one per location, never reassigned, no credit code in the digits.
4. D&B: D-U-N-S Number and governmentWhere DUNS numbers are still used after the UEI switch.
5. D&B: D-U-N-S lookupFree lookup for any company in D&B's database; not every business has a number; phone or address mismatches break searches.
6. D&B: Choose your countryMalaysia links to dnb.com.my.
7. D&B: D-U-N-S for Google developersMalaysia links to D&B Malaysia's D-U-N-S page. Page modified 5 August 2026.
8. D&B: D-U-N-S Registered Seal (US)US$299.99, auto-renewing subscription.
9. D&B Malaysia: D-U-N-S Number and Registered SealLookup options, request form, up to 30 working days, documents. Page last modified 23 December 2022.
10. D&B Malaysia: Contact UsAddress, phone, email, hours, 1 to 2 working day replies.
11. Ministry of Finance: registered credit reporting agencies
12. Apple: D-U-N-S Number helpLookup details, 5 + 2 business days, legal-entity error.
13. Apple: Program enrollment helpFree in most jurisdictions, organisation types, fees, verification.
14. Apple: Become a member
15. Google Play Console Help: Required information to create a developer accountD-U-N-S for organisations, checking D&B first, up to 30 days, matching details.
16. Android Developer Console Help: Understanding Android developer verificationUp to 28 days.
17. GSA: systems switch to the Unique Entity ID on 4 April 2022Dated 16 March 2022. A full SAM.gov registration isn't needed just to get the ID.
18. GSA: Unique Entity ID FAQ (PDF)12-character alphanumeric.
19. SSM: Perbandingan entiti perniagaan (PDF)Which business types are separate legal entities. Dated 11 March 2022.
20. SSM: New registration number format12 digits from 11 October 2019.
21. LHDN: Information on Tax Identification Numbers (PDF)TIN codes by taxpayer type. Updated March 2023.
22. IRS: Employer identification number