What are the requirements to implement BIMI?
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Want to get your brand logo showing up in Gmail and Yahoo inboxes? You'll need to stack a few pieces of email authentication infrastructure. Don't worry, we'll break it down.
The foundation is DMARC authentication at p=quarantine or p=reject. BIMI won't work if your DMARC is in p=none mode (that's basically saying you're not serious about protecting your domain yet). BIMI looks at your sending domain and the domain above it. If either one is at p=none, mailboxes that follow the BIMI draft will not show your logo. BIMI also looks at your subdomain policy. If your DMARC record says sp=none, mailboxes that follow the BIMI draft will not show your logo, even at p=reject. You'll also want your SPF and DKIM signatures properly aligned to your sending domain so your emails pass authentication checks.
Then there's pct. If your DMARC record has pct below 100, your logo may not show. The BIMI draft rules it out at p=quarantine, and Google asks for pct=100 at either p=quarantine or p=reject. RFC 9989 retires pct, so set it to 100 or remove it.
Next comes the visual piece. You'll need a logo in SVG Tiny Portable Secure format (not your regular PNG or JPG). This is a specific flavor of SVG that keeps file size small and security tight. Then you'll publish a BIMI DNS record that points to that logo.
Finally, consider whether you need a Verified Mark Certificate. Some mailbox providers like Gmail require a certificate, while others like Yahoo accept self-asserted logos without the certificate. If you want the widest support, a VMC is worth it. As of November 2026, a VMC runs roughly $750 to $1,750 a year, depending on the authority, reseller and term. A CMC is usually a bit less. A VMC also needs a registered trademark, a separate cost. This is a guide only, so ask for a current quote.
So Start by auditing your DMARC setup with a DMARC checker tool to make sure you're BIMI-ready.
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