VMC
Verified Mark Certificate — the certificate required to display a brand logo via BIMI.
A VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) is the certificate that a brand needs to display its logo via BIMI in supporting inboxes. VMCs are issued by Certificate Authorities (DigiCert, Entrust) and require the brand to hold a registered trademark on the logo being displayed.
VMCs cost approximately $1,200/year. The certificate is the third-party verification that you control the trademark for the logo; without it, ISPs won't display the BIMI logo even if the technical setup (DMARC, BIMI DNS record, SVG file) is correct.
For most senders, VMCs aren't a high priority — they're an enterprise-grade trust signal that matters most for consumer brands and financial institutions. The cost and trademark prerequisite filter out smaller senders. For brands where inbox trust is a material differentiator (banks, healthcare, identity verification services), VMCs are increasingly table stakes.