BIMI FAQ: Common Questions About Brand Logos in Email

BIMI is straightforward in concept but has enough technical details to generate plenty of questions. This FAQ covers the most common questions we see about implementing and troubleshooting BIMI.

Basic BIMI Questions

What is BIMI?

BIMI stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification. It is an email standard that allows organizations to display their brand logo directly in recipients’ email inboxes, next to messages from their domain.

When your email passes DMARC authentication, the receiving email client looks up your BIMI DNS record, retrieves your logo from the URL specified, and displays it alongside your message.

Which email clients support BIMI?

As of 2026, BIMI is supported by:

• Gmail (requires VMC certificate)
• Yahoo Mail (works without VMC)
• Apple Mail (requires VMC certificate)
• Fastmail (works without VMC)
• AOL Mail (works without VMC)

Microsoft Outlook does not currently support BIMI, though this may change in the future.

How do I check if BIMI is working?

Use our BIMI Checker to validate your setup. The tool verifies:

• Your BIMI DNS record exists and is properly formatted
• Your logo URL is accessible and returns valid SVG
• Your VMC certificate (if present) is valid

After technical validation, send test emails to Yahoo Mail (displays without VMC) and Gmail (requires VMC) to confirm the logo appears in actual inboxes.

What does a BIMI record look like?

A BIMI record is a DNS TXT record with this format:

v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/vmc.pem

The components are:

• v=BIMI1 - Version identifier (always BIMI1)
• l= - URL to your SVG logo file
• a= - URL to your VMC certificate (optional)

The record is published at default._bimi.yourdomain.com. Use our BIMI Generator to create yours.

VMC Certificate Questions

What is a VMC?

A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is a digital certificate that validates your brand logo is associated with your organization and your registered trademark. It is issued by certificate authorities (DigiCert or Entrust) after verifying your trademark registration and organization identity.

Gmail and Apple Mail require a VMC to display your logo. Other email clients display logos without VMC verification.

How much does a VMC cost?

VMC certificates cost approximately $1,500 per year from both DigiCert and Entrust. This is an annual recurring cost.

Some certificate authorities offer multi-year discounts. The cost covers the validation process and certificate issuance.

Do I need a trademark for BIMI?

It depends on which email clients you care about:

• Yahoo Mail, Fastmail, AOL: No trademark required
• Gmail, Apple Mail: VMC required, which requires a registered trademark

If Gmail is important to your audience, you need a trademark registered with an eligible intellectual property office (USPTO, EUIPO, etc.).

Can I use BIMI without a VMC?

Yes. You can implement BIMI without a VMC, and your logo will display in email clients that do not require VMC verification (Yahoo Mail, Fastmail, AOL).

This is a valid approach if:

• You want to test BIMI before investing in a VMC
• Your trademark registration is pending
• Gmail and Apple Mail are not significant portions of your audience

Logo Requirements

What image format does BIMI require?

BIMI requires SVG Tiny PS (Portable/Secure) format. This is a restricted version of SVG that removes potentially dangerous features.

Standard SVG files exported from design tools like Illustrator or Figma typically need modification to comply with SVG Tiny PS requirements.

Why does BIMI use SVG instead of PNG or JPG?

SVG is vector-based, meaning it scales to any size without losing quality. Email clients display logos at different sizes in different contexts (inbox list, message header, contact cards), so vector format ensures your logo always looks sharp.

SVG Tiny PS specifically removes features that could be security risks when email clients render logos.

What are the SVG Tiny PS requirements?

Your SVG must:

• Be square (1:1 aspect ratio)
• Include a viewBox attribute
• Be under 32KB (recommended)

Your SVG must not contain:

• Script elements or event handlers
• Animations (animate, animateTransform)
• External references (images, fonts, stylesheets)
• foreignObject elements

Use our BIMI SVG Checker to validate compliance.

How do I convert my logo to SVG Tiny PS?

Start with your logo in vector format (AI, EPS, or standard SVG). Export as SVG, then:

1. Remove any <script> tags
2. Remove event attributes (onclick, onload, etc.)
3. Remove animation elements
4. Convert external fonts to paths
5. Remove or inline any external references
6. Ensure dimensions are square
7. Add viewBox if missing

Many designers use tools like SVGOMG for optimization, followed by manual cleanup of restricted elements.

Can I use different logos for different email types?

BIMI supports selectors, allowing different logos for different purposes. The default selector is default, but you could create:

• marketing._bimi.example.com for marketing emails
• support._bimi.example.com for support emails

In practice, most organizations use a single logo for consistent brand recognition.

DMARC Requirements

What DMARC policy is required for BIMI?

BIMI requires DMARC at enforcement level:

• p=quarantine or p=reject
• pct=100 (or omitted, which defaults to 100)

DMARC at p=none will not work with BIMI. Email clients will not look up your BIMI record if your policy is set to none.

Why does BIMI require DMARC enforcement?

BIMI displays your logo to signal trust. Without enforcement, attackers could spoof your domain and potentially have phishing emails display your logo.

Requiring enforcement ensures only authenticated emails from your domain can show your brand. This protects both your brand and email recipients.

Can I use BIMI with p=quarantine?

Yes. Both p=quarantine and p=reject satisfy BIMI requirements. Some organizations stay at quarantine rather than reject, and BIMI works fine in either case.

Troubleshooting

My logo shows in Yahoo but not Gmail

Gmail requires a valid VMC certificate. If Yahoo displays your logo but Gmail does not, your BIMI setup is correct but you either:

• Do not have a VMC
• Have a VMC that is not properly configured
• Have a VMC URL that is not accessible

My BIMI checker says everything is valid but the logo does not display

After setting up BIMI, there is a delay before logos appear:

• DNS propagation: 15-60 minutes
• Email client caching: Up to 24-48 hours
• Gmail VMC verification: Can take several days

Send test emails and wait before troubleshooting further.

I see a “BIMI record not found” error

Check that your DNS record is published at the correct location:

• Host: default._bimi (or default._bimi.yourdomain.com)
• Type: TXT
• Value: Your BIMI record string starting with v=BIMI1

Some DNS providers require the full hostname, others just the subdomain portion. Check your provider’s documentation.

My SVG checker reports errors

Common issues and fixes:

Non-square aspect ratio: Your logo must be square. Add transparent padding or adjust the viewBox to make width equal height.

Missing viewBox: Add a viewBox attribute to your SVG element, like viewBox="0 0 100 100".

Contains forbidden elements: Search for and remove <script>, <animate>, <foreignObject>, and event handler attributes.

External references: Inline all external resources. Fonts should be converted to paths, external images should be removed or embedded.

Cost and Implementation

Is BIMI free?

BIMI as a standard is free. The costs are:

• VMC certificate: ~$1,500/year (optional, required for Gmail/Apple)
• Logo hosting: Minimal (use existing CDN or website)
• DNS record: Free (part of normal DNS management)

The main expense is the VMC if you need Gmail and Apple Mail support.

How long does BIMI implementation take?

If you already have DMARC at enforcement:

• Preparing SVG logo: 1-2 hours
• DNS setup: 15 minutes
• VMC (if needed): 2-4 weeks for issuance
• Full propagation: 24-48 hours

If you need to reach DMARC enforcement first, add 2-8 weeks depending on your email ecosystem complexity.

Can my marketing team implement BIMI?

BIMI requires DNS access and potentially some technical SVG work. Implementation typically involves:

• IT/DNS administrator for the DNS record
• Designer for SVG preparation
• Marketing for brand decisions

The actual technical work is minimal once prerequisites are met.

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Still have questions? Run your domain through our BIMI Checker to see your current status, or check our complete BIMI Setup Guide for step-by-step implementation instructions.