Symptoms#
- Messages landing in spam despite previously good placement
- Bounces mentioning policy, authentication, or reputation
- Provider dashboards showing a drop in reputation or authentication pass rate
Diagnosis steps#
- Confirm the configuration is live: query DNS from an external resolver and check the sending platform's settings page.
- Send to a seed mailbox and read the full headers, especially Authentication-Results.
- Compare the domains in From, Return-Path, and DKIM d= for alignment.
- Check provider dashboards (Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS) for reputation and error rates.
- Review recent changes: new vendors, DNS edits, list imports, volume spikes.
Likely causes#
- Submitting a logo that differs from the registered mark, even slightly.
- Letting the certificate expire, which silently removes the logo.
- Assuming a pending trademark application qualifies; it must be registered.
Fix and re-verify#
- Confirm your logo is a registered trademark in an accepted jurisdiction (USPTO, EUIPO, UKIPO, JPO, and others).
- Prepare the exact trademarked artwork as SVG Tiny PS.
- Complete organization validation with the CA, including notarized identity verification.
- Receive the PEM certificate, host it over HTTPS, and reference it in the a= tag of your BIMI record.
- Calendar the renewal; VMCs are valid for one year.
Frequently asked questions#
How much does a VMC cost?
Roughly $1,000 to $1,500 per year per logo, depending on the CA.
How long does issuance take?
Typically 2 to 6 weeks, mostly spent on organization and trademark validation.
Do I need one VMC per domain?
One VMC can cover multiple domains using SANs, if they share the same trademark.