Knowledge Base

Overview

By following this article, you will be able to check whether your organization is eligible for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC) before you apply. A VMC or CMC lets your organization display its logo in supported email clients through the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard. The article covers the eligible legal entity types, domain ownership and control, trademark and mark usage requirements, the reliable communication channel check, and the operational existence check.

Eligible legal entity types for a VMC or CMC

Only these types of organizations can apply for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC):

Entity type	Who qualifies	Requirements
Private organization	Incorporated entities, for example LLC, Ltd, GmbH, OOO, SL, or Sp. z o.o.	Must be legally registered and in good standing
Government entity	Departments, ministries, or agencies of national, regional, or local governments, including public and state schools and other official bodies	Must be an official government body
Business entity	Businesses that are not incorporated but are registered with a government agency	Some sole proprietors can qualify if they are officially registered
Non-commercial entity	International organizations that are not tied to a single country, for example the United Nations or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)	Must be an international organization

Domain ownership and control for a VMC or CMC

To apply for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC), you must prove that you control every domain that the certificate will include. Sectigo checks this with Domain Control Validation (DCV). For a VMC or CMC, you can use one of these DCV methods:

• Email-based validation
• Domain Name System (DNS) record validation with a Canonical Name (CNAME) record
• HTTP file upload

Note: For a VMC or CMC, Sectigo does not support DNS text (TXT) record validation with a random value, or domain tree walk-up for CNAME validation.

Trademark and mark usage requirements for a VMC or CMC

A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) and a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) have different requirements for your logo (mark).

Requirement	VMC	CMC
Type of mark	A registered trademark with a recognized trademark office	A prior use mark (a logo that your organization has used publicly for some time)
Mark status	The trademark must be in good standing and must not expire within 397 days of issuance	The logo must appear on your website now
Proof of use	The logo must match the trademark record exactly	The logo must have been in use for at least 12 months. Sectigo checks this with the Internet Archive (archive.org)
Logo file format	Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)	[SME: confirm whether SVG is also required for CMC]
Domain	—	You must prove domain control for the domain that displays the logo

Note: If your logo is not a registered trademark, you are not eligible for a VMC, but you might be eligible for a CMC.

Reliable communication channel check for a VMC or CMC

During Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC) validation, Sectigo looks for a public, verifiable way to contact your organization, such as:

• A business phone number
• A corporate email address
• A physical mailing address

Sectigo confirms this contact information with trusted sources or a professional letter.

Operational existence check for a VMC or CMC

To get a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC), your organization must prove that it is actively operating. You can prove operational existence with one of these:

• Business registration records that show at least 3 years of activity
• A listing in a qualified business directory
• A professional letter that confirms your organization is operating

Similar questions

• Is my organization eligible for a VMC?
• What is the difference between VMC and CMC requirements?
• Can I get a CMC if my logo is not a registered trademark?
• What documents prove operational existence for a VMC or CMC?