1- You do not need an Apple Developer Account to start developing iOS Apps. The documentation and tools are free to download with your Apple ID. You can also sign and install apps on your personal devices using that same Apple ID. If you want to distribute or sell apps on the App Store, you need to enroll the Apple Developer Program starting at 99 USD (This is the price at the time of writing and may change). This will also add code-level support incidents and beta testing for your apps via TestFlight.
2- Creating an Apple ID without a credit card requires a short process. If you don’t mind associating a payment method as part of the sign up, go to https://appleid.apple.com/