In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
To show your logo in Gmail you need DMARC at p=quarantine or p=reject, an SVG Tiny PS logo, a VMC or CMC certificate, and a BIMI DNS record. Certificates cost roughly US$990 to US$1,420 a year, so for most SMEs the DMARC work matters more than the logo.
What BIMI is and where your logo appears
Without BIMI, Gmail shows a coloured circle with your initial next to your emails. With BIMI set up and verified, it shows your logo in the sender avatar. Google describes BIMI as a way to add your organisation's logo to outgoing messages, verified by a third party so recipients can trust it (Google Workspace BIMI help).
Support varies by mailbox provider. Gmail and Apple Mail require a certificate. Yahoo Mail can show logos without one if your sending volume and reputation are good enough. Outlook.com does not support BIMI in the same way. The BIMI Group keeps the standard and a list of supporting providers.
BIMI does not make your emails more likely to reach the inbox on its own. What helps deliverability is the DMARC enforcement you need to qualify for it.
BIMI requirements for Gmail, step by step
These are Google's requirements as of October 2026. Work through them in order; most businesses stall at the first one.
Get SPF and DKIM passing for all your mail
Every service that sends as your domain (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, your newsletter tool, invoicing, booking system) must pass SPF or DKIM aligned with your domain.
Move DMARC to quarantine or reject
Google says the DMARC policy must be p=quarantine or p=reject, with pct=100. A policy of p=none does not qualify.
Prepare the logo as SVG Tiny PS
Google requires SVG Tiny Portable/Secure: baseProfile tiny-ps, version 1.2, no scripts, animations or external links, and a square design that works in a circle.
Buy a VMC or CMC from a certificate authority
The certificate authority verifies your organisation and logo, then issues a PEM file containing the certificate and logo.
Host the files over HTTPS
Put the PEM file (and SVG) on a web server with HTTPS that you control.
Publish the BIMI DNS record
Add a TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain pointing to the files. For Gmail it must reference the PEM file (Google BIMI record help).
If you are still on p=none, read our guide to moving DMARC from none to quarantine to reject first. Moving too fast can send your own invoices to spam.
VMC vs CMC: which certificate you can get
Gmail accepts two kinds of mark certificate. Google announced support for the Common Mark Certificate (CMC) in September 2024, for senders who do not have a registered trademark.
VMC (Verified Mark Certificate)
Blue checkmark- Logo must be a registered trademark
- Gmail shows a verified checkmark
- Supported by more providers, including Apple
- Google recommends it where possible
Best for: Businesses that already own a registered logo trademark.
CMC (Common Mark Certificate)
No trademark needed- Logo must have been in use for at least a year
- Gmail shows the logo but no checkmark
- Fewer providers accept it than VMC
- Still needs DMARC enforcement and validation
Best for: Established SMEs without a registered trademark.
DigiCert, one of the certificate authorities, says a CMC requires that your logo has been used for at least one year, per its CMC documentation. Requirements differ slightly between issuers, so check before you pay.
The trademark question for Singapore businesses
For a VMC, Google says your logo must be trademarked with an intellectual property office recognised by VMC issuers, and that the trademark process can take 6 to 12 months. In Singapore, that means registering the logo (as it appears, not just your business name in words) with IPOS.
- IPOS's forms and fees page lists the application fee at S$280 per class when you use its pre-approved descriptions of goods and services, or S$410 per class otherwise (as of October 2026).
- A logo used across several kinds of business may need more than one class.
- Before you file, confirm with the certificate authority that it accepts IPOS registrations for VMCs, and that the registered image matches the logo you will use in email.
A registered trademark has value beyond email: it helps with takedowns when someone impersonates your brand. Our guide to lookalike domain impersonation covers that side.
What BIMI costs a small business
The DNS records are free. The real costs are the certificate, the trademark for a VMC, and the time to get DMARC to enforcement.
- Mark certificate (VMC or CMC), per yearSectigo CMC from US$990; DigiCert US$1,416 for 12 monthsabout US$990 to US$1,420
- IPOS trademark application (VMC only)Plus any lawyer or agent feesS$280 to S$410 per class
- SVG Tiny PS logo conversionOften an hour or twoDesigner time
- DMARC to enforcementWeeks of monitoring reportsYour time or IT support
Typical first yearRoughly US$990 to US$1,420 plus set-up time
Approximate, as of October 2026. Check the certificate authority's current price on the day you buy; prices and promotions vary by issuer and reseller.
Prices are from DigiCert's mark certificates page and Sectigo's VMC page, which lists CMCs from US$990 a year and VMCs from US$1,350 a year on multi-year terms. Resellers also sell them; compare the issuer, term and renewal price.
Is BIMI worth it for an SME?
For most small businesses, the honest answer is: do the DMARC work now, and consider BIMI later.
BIMI is worth it if
- You send a lot of email to consumers on Gmail
- Your brand is often impersonated in phishing
- You already own a registered logo trademark
- DMARC is already at reject and stable
Skip it for now if
- Most of your email goes to business clients on Outlook
- DMARC is still at p=none
- The yearly certificate cost is a large share of your IT budget
- Your logo is changing in the next year
Do it yourself or get help?
Publishing a BIMI record is easy once everything else is in place. The work is in finding every service that sends as your domain, getting each one to pass DMARC, and moving the policy up without blocking your own mail.
Our Emails Land in Spam Fix (S$249, with 14 days of monitoring) sets up SPF, DKIM and DMARC and moves you toward enforcement. If you then want BIMI, Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) covers publishing the BIMI record and hosting files once you have the certificate. Our guide to SPF, DKIM and DMARC explains the records in plain English.
Frequently asked questions
No. Gmail only displays BIMI logos when the BIMI record points to a valid Verified Mark Certificate or Common Mark Certificate. Some other providers, such as Yahoo Mail, may show a logo from a self-asserted BIMI record without a certificate if your sending reputation qualifies, but Gmail and Apple Mail require one.
Not directly. BIMI is a display feature. What improves deliverability is the authentication you need before BIMI works: SPF, DKIM and a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject. Those make it harder for others to spoof your domain and give mailbox providers more reason to trust your mail, with or without a logo.
A Verified Mark Certificate requires your logo to be a registered trademark and shows a blue verified checkmark in Gmail. A Common Mark Certificate does not need a trademark, but the logo must generally have been in use for at least a year, and Gmail shows the logo without the checkmark. Both require DMARC enforcement and validation by the certificate authority.
Only for a VMC. You can use a CMC without a trademark if your logo has been in use long enough. If you want a VMC, register the logo with IPOS, where the application fee is S$280 or S$410 per class as of October 2026, and confirm the certificate authority accepts the registration. Google notes trademarks can take 6 to 12 months.
Common causes are a DMARC policy still at p=none or pct below 100, a BIMI record that points to an SVG instead of the PEM certificate file, an SVG that is not in SVG Tiny PS format, files not served over HTTPS, or the certificate not matching the domain. Gmail can also take time to start showing the logo after everything is correct.