BIMI and the DigiCert VMC — Your Logo Next to Every Email

A VMC certificate proves your rights to the mark — and mailboxes start showing your logo in the inbox. From 931,90 € a year

Buy a BIMI certificate for 931,90 €
BIMI: a company logo next to an email in the mail client

BIMI is the standard by which Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Apple Mail show a company logo next to an email instead of a grey circle with a letter. Four things are needed to make it work: SPF and DKIM in place, a DMARC policy set to quarantine or reject, a logo in SVG Tiny PS format and a certificate with a BIMI DNS record. There are two certificates: a VMC for a registered trademark, accepted by every mailbox provider that supports BIMI, and a CMC for a logo without a registered mark used for at least a year, with narrower reach. The price starts at €931.90 a year. Issuance takes several weeks: the authority verifies the rights to the mark.

Certificates for BIMI

Two options: for a registered trademark and for a logo without registration

Certificate Validation and issuance What it secures Warranty Price
DigiCert Common Mark Certificate
DigiCert
One domain and its www 931.9
per year
Order
Verified Mark Certificate
DigiCert
One domain and its www 1257.9
per year
Order

Before ordering you need SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured in quarantine or reject mode.

What BIMI is

The standard that makes mailboxes display the sender's logo

1

Your logo in the inbox

Gmail, Yahoo and Apple Mail show your logo next to the message instead of a grey circle with a letter in it.

2

Proof of your rights

A VMC certificate proves the mark is registered to your company, so the logo cannot simply be copied by someone else.

3

Discipline in your mail setup

BIMI requires a working DMARC policy, and DMARC on its own already reduces the chance of forged mail from your domain.

What it takes for the logo to appear

Four conditions — miss any one of them and BIMI stays off

1

SPF and DKIM

Your mail has to pass both checks: this is the foundation, and without it DMARC makes no sense.

2

DMARC in strict mode

The policy must be quarantine or reject. The none mode is not enough for BIMI.

3

A logo in SVG Tiny PS format

A square logo in that specific SVG profile — we will share the requirements and check the file for you.

4

Certificate and BIMI record

You order a VMC or CMC, publish a DNS record pointing to the logo and the certificate, and the mail providers pick it up themselves.

VMC or CMC — which one to take

VMC or CMC — which one to take

  • Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) — for a registered trademark. It requires the registration certificate and the register data. Accepted by every mail provider that supports BIMI.
  • Common Mark Certificate (CMC) — for a logo without a registered trademark that the company has used for at least a year. Support is narrower: some providers accept VMC only.

If the mark is registered, take VMC. If it is not and you do not plan to register it, CMC is the compromise — with that reservation about coverage.

Certificates for email

Frequently asked questions about BIMI

Requirements, timing and coverage

In Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail and a number of other providers that support BIMI. Coverage keeps growing.

Yes, and it must be in quarantine or reject mode. With a none policy the logo will not appear.

For VMC, yes. CMC only needs a logo the company has used for at least a year, but not every provider supports it.

Usually several weeks: the authority checks the rights to the mark and the company data — the longest validation of any certificate.

SVG Tiny PS: square, with a solid background, no scripts and no external references. We can check the file before you order.

CMC costs €931.90 a year and VMC €1,257.90 a year. These are the most expensive certificates in the catalogue because validation is so involved.

No, mail providers need time to refresh their data — usually from a few days to a couple of weeks.

Then a VMC will not be issued: it goes only to the owner of the mark, or to a holder of a confirmed licence to use it.