Industry Update: SSL certificate lifetimes are changing. Learn how the move to 47-day certificates will impact businesses between 2026 and 2029.
5 min read
What is a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)? | Complete Guide | Wikicert
Learn what a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is, how it works with BIMI, and how businesses display their verified logo inside customer inboxes to increase trust and email engagement.
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is a digital certificate that allows organizations to display their officially verified brand logo next to authenticated emails in supported inboxes such as Gmail and Apple Mail.
Instead of recipients seeing only your company name, they immediately recognize your verified logo—helping build trust, improve brand recognition, and reduce the risk of phishing attacks.
VMC certificates work together with BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) to create a more trusted email experience.
A Verified Mark Certificate helps businesses:
• Display their verified company logo in supported email inboxes
• Increase customer trust
• Strengthen brand recognition
• Reduce phishing risks
• Improve email engagement and open rates
Before a logo can appear inside supported inboxes, a business must:
• Own a registered trademark for its logo
• Configure BIMI correctly
• Implement DMARC email authentication
• Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority
Once configured successfully, supported email providers display the verified company logo alongside authenticated emails.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email standard that allows organizations to display their verified brand logo in participating email clients.
A VMC acts as proof that the displayed logo genuinely belongs to your organization.
Without a VMC, many email providers will not display the verified logo.
A VMC provides several important benefits:
• Increases brand visibility
• Builds customer confidence
• Helps prevent phishing attacks
• Improves email recognition
• Supports stronger email security
• Creates a more professional email presence
Verified Mark Certificates are ideal for:
• Large enterprises
• Financial institutions
• Online retailers
• SaaS companies
• Healthcare organizations
• Government agencies
• Any business sending high volumes of customer emails
To obtain a Verified Mark Certificate, businesses typically need:
• A registered trademark for their logo
• Properly configured DMARC policy
• BIMI implementation
• Organization identity verification
These requirements ensure only legitimate organizations can display verified logos.
No.
SSL certificates protect websites, while VMC certificates protect brand identity within email communications.
Yes.
A VMC works together with BIMI to display your verified logo.
Only organizations that meet the trademark, email authentication, and identity verification requirements.
Support continues to grow and includes major providers such as Gmail and Apple Mail, with additional providers expanding support over time.
Not sure which S/MIME certificate is right for your business?
Contact Wikicert and our boutique SSL specialists will recommend the most suitable certificate based on your organisation's email security requirements without any obligation.
