Worked on VMC Today – Here’s a Simple Explanation for Everyone

Today I discovered something intresting that we encounter daily but rarely understand – how company logos appear in your Mails or Gmail inbox. 🤯

Have you noticed when you receive emails from major brands like Google, Amazon, or your bank, their official logo displays right next to the sender's name? Ever wondered how that works?

I uncovered the answer today, and it's called VMC – Verified Mark Certificate. It's actually much simpler than it sounds! I'm sharing everything I learned here in easy-to-understand language so you can implement this too. 😊

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🔐 What You Need Before Getting VMC – Verified Mark Certificate

• Your company logo must be trademarked.
  • Official government trademark registration is required.
• Logo must be in .SVG Tiny PS format.
  • SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics
  • Tiny PS: Tiny Portable/Secure profile (lightweight & email-safe)
• Email authentication must be properly configured:
  • SPF: Sender Policy Framework
  • DKIM: DomainKeys Identified Mail
  • DMARC: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance
  • DMARC policy must be: p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100
• You will receive a .pem VMC certificate from the Certificate Authority.
  • PEM: Privacy Enhanced Mail format

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📘 TABLE OF CONTENTS ▼

• 🔎 What is VMC – Verified Mark Certificate?
• 🎯 Why Organizations Implement VMC
• 🔐 Getting a VMC Certificate
• 📦 Understanding the .PEM Certificate & Hosting Options
• 🧩 Creating Your BIMI DNS Record
• 🧪 Testing Your BIMI & VMC Implementation
• 💎 Pro Tip: Use crt.sh for Certificate Search
• ❓ Frequently Asked Questions

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Use this Link :

bimigroup.org/bimi-generator/

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🔎 What is VMC – Verified Mark Certificate?

• Some emails display the company's logo next to the sender's name — that’s VMC in action.
• VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) allows your official company logo to appear in Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail, etc.
• It verifies that your email is genuinely sent by your organization and not a phishing attempt.
• Think of it as a ✔️ verification badge for your business emails.

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🎯 Why Organizations Implement VMC

Benefit	Explanation
Display Logo in Inbox	Your brand appears professional and trustworthy in every email.
Build Customer Trust	Recipients can instantly identify legitimate emails from your organization.
Prevent Email Spoofing	Protects customers from scammers impersonating your brand.
Increase Email Engagement	Verified logos lead to higher open rates and reduced spam filtering.

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🔐 Getting a VMC Certificate

• Choose a Certificate Authority: DigiCert, Entrust, Sectigo.
• Provide trademark proof — your logo must be officially registered. - Organisation Verification.
• Prepare your logo in SVG Tiny PS/S format.
• Complete CA organization & trademark validation.
• Upon approval, you’ll receive the vmc.pem certificate file.

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📦 Understanding the .PEM Certificate & Hosting Options

• After approval, you get a file: vmc.pem.
• Both logo and pem must be publicly accessible:
• ✅ logo.svg
  ✅ vmc.pem

Option 1: Hosted by Certificate Authority by Digicert or Entrust (Easy)

https://vmc.digicert.com/<your-id>.svg
https://vmc.digicert.com/<your-id>.pem

Option 2: Self-Host on Your Domain (Recommended)

https://brand.yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg
https://brand.yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem

Directory structure:

/bimi
├── logo.svg
└── vmc.pem

🧩 Creating Your BIMI DNS Record

• Once files are hosted, create a BIMI TXT record.
• Host: default._bimi
• Type: TXT

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BIMI TXT Value:

v=BIMI1; l=https://brand.yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://brand.yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem; avp=digicert

Note: avp is optional. It indicates the certificate authority.

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🧪 Testing Your BIMI & VMC Implementation

• bimigroup.org/bimi-generator/
• mxtoolbox.com/bimi.aspx
• BIMI Record Builder

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💎 Pro Tip: Use crt.sh for Certificate Search

• crt.sh helps you search SSL/TLS & VMC certificates.
• Search by domain, CA, or organization.
• Link: crt.sh

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I configure VMC in DigiCert?
  🔥 NO – You only obtain the certificate from DigiCert. DNS configuration is YOUR responsibility.
• Why does my URL show vmc.digicert.com or bimi.entrust.com?
  🔥 NORMAL – DigiCert/Entrust hosts your BIMI files. This is STANDARD OPERATION and completely acceptable.
• Logo not showing?
  🔥 TROUBLESHOOT – Verify:
  • DMARC policy (p=quarantine or p=reject)
  • BIMI record syntax
  • SVG format compliance
  • DKIM authentication
• Is BIMI supported everywhere?
  🔥 MAJOR PROVIDERS – Gmail, Yahoo, and others support it. Coverage is EXPANDING but not universal.

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✨ Final Tip: Add BIMI TXT → Validate using tools → Send a test email to Gmail/Yahoo to see your logo in inbox!

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