This guide covers each requirement in technical detail and serves as a standalone reference for the validation, file formatting, and DNS configuration work involved in obtaining a VMC for Registered Marks. A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for Registered Marks from SSL lets organizations display their brand logo in supported email clients, backed by cryptographic proof of trademark ownership and domain authentication. Earning one requires satisfying three distinct requirements: an active trademark registration with a WIPO-recognized IP office, a logo prepared to the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S) specification, and a BIMI DNS record configured alongside DMARC enforcement. This guide covers each requirement in technical detail and serves as a standalone reference for the validation, file formatting, and DNS configuration work involved in obtaining a VMC.
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from SSL does more than unlock your brand logo in email inboxes. It provides cryptographic proof that your organization owns the trademark behind that logo and that your email infrastructure meets authentication standards rigorous enough to deter spoofing. Getting there requires satisfying three distinct layers of requirements: trademark eligibility, logo file formatting, and DNS record configuration.
This guide covers all three in technical detail. If you’re looking for the end-to-end ordering and validation workflow, refer to SSL’s Validation Requirements and Installation Process for Mark Certificates.
Trademark Requirements for a VMC
The central distinction between a VMC and a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) is trademark status. A VMC is issued for a Registered Mark, meaning the logo must be protected by an active trademark registration with a recognized intellectual property office.What Qualifies
SSL validates VMC trademark eligibility against the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) directory of IP offices. Your trademark registration must be active and on file with one of the listed offices. You can verify whether your jurisdiction is included at wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp.Beyond registration status, the trademark must correspond directly to the logo submitted for the certificate. SSL’s validation team checks that the mark in the certificate request matches the registered image on file with the IP office. Stylized variations, recolored versions, or cropped portions of a registered mark will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may require additional documentation.
Entity Types That Can Apply
VMCs are issued to organizations, not individuals. Eligible applicants include:- Private organizations: Legally incorporated entities such as LLCs, corporations, and similar structures
- Government entities: Public institutions including agencies, departments, and state-accredited schools
- Business entities: Unincorporated businesses that are formally registered with a government body (some sole proprietors may qualify)
- Non-commercial entities: International organizations without single-country affiliation, such as intergovernmental bodies
What Does Not Qualify
Unregistered trademarks, common law marks, and “TM” or “SM” designations are not eligible for a VMC. These marks may qualify for a CMC instead, provided the logo has been publicly visible on the applicant’s domain for at least 12 consecutive months. Contact SSL’s team if you are unsure which certificate type fits your situation.Logo File Specifications
The BIMI standard requires all mark logos to be delivered in a specific SVG format, and the requirements are stricter than what most design tools produce by default. Submitting a noncompliant file is one of the most common reasons VMC applications are delayed, so it is worth getting this right before placing your order.Format: SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S)
Your logo must conform to the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S) profile as defined by the BIMI Working Group. This is a subset of SVG Tiny 1.2, with additional security restrictions that prohibit embedded scripts, external references, and certain dynamic elements. Standard SVG files exported from design tools such as Adobe Illustrator will not meet this profile without further processing.The BIMI Group publishes official conversion tools at bimigroup.org/svg-conversion-tools-released for both Windows and macOS. If you use Adobe Illustrator, a script integration is also available that allows you to run the conversion from the Scripts menu.
Required File Attributes
After conversion, open the SVG file in a text editor and confirm the following:- The baseProfile attribute is set to tiny-ps
- The x and y attributes have been removed
- The overflow=”visible” attribute has been removed
- The <title> element reflects your organization’s name
- No external references, <script> tags, or animation elements are present
Design and Size Constraints
The submitted logo must also meet these visual and file-size requirements:| Requirement | Specification |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 (square) |
| Background | Solid, non-transparent |
| File size | 32 KB maximum (30 KB recommended) |
| Color | Must match the trademarked version of the logo |
| Image type | Vector only; raster formats (PNG, JPG) are not accepted |
Line Endings
The SVG P/S specification requires Line Feed (LF) line endings only. Carriage Return + Line Feed (CRLF) endings, which some Windows-based tools insert by default, are not permitted. Use a text editor such as Notepad++ to inspect and correct line endings before submission: navigate to Edit > EOL Conversion > Unix (LF) and confirm the file is saved in UTF-8 encoding.Validate Before You Submit
SSL provides an online SVG Logo Validator that checks your file against BIMI formatting requirements before you upload it as part of your order. Use it to surface any errors early:SVG Logo Validator
The tool will list all formatting errors found in the file. Address each one before proceeding to the validation phase of your certificate order.
BIMI DNS Setup
Once your VMC has been issued and you have deployed the .pem certificate file to a publicly accessible HTTPS location on your web server, you are ready to configure your BIMI DNS record. This record tells supporting email clients where to find your logo and its associated certificate.Prerequisites
Before adding your BIMI record, confirm that your domain has DMARC enforcement in place. A DMARC policy of p=quarantine or p=reject is required. A monitoring-only policy (p=none) is not sufficient and will prevent your logo from rendering in most email clients, even after the VMC is issued.Record Format
Add a DNS TXT record to your domain using the following structure:v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/path/to/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/path/to/certificate.pem
The l= tag points to your SVG P/S logo file. The a= tag points to your VMC .pem file. Both URLs must use HTTPS and must be publicly reachable without redirects or authentication prompts.
DNS Entry Details
| Field | Value |
| Record type | TXT |
| Host/Name | default._bimi.yourdomain.com |
| Value | Full BIMI record string (see above) |
| TTL | 3600 (1 hour recommended) |
Propagation and Verification
DNS changes typically propagate within a few minutes but can take up to 48 hours in some environments. Once propagation is complete, use the BIMI Group’s verification tool to confirm that your record is resolving correctly and that both the logo and certificate URLs are accessible.Send a test email to a supported client such as Gmail, Apple Mail, or Yahoo Mail to verify that your logo displays in the inbox. Note that display support varies by email client and may also depend on the sending domain’s reputation.