2025 Mark Certificate Requirements 1.7 Changes

Update (2026): This article covers changes introduced in Mark Certificate Requirements version 1.7. The BIMI Group has since published version 1.8; use the current requirements and VMC-versus-CMC comparison when choosing or renewing a certificate.

Mark Certificate Requirements version 1.7 was published on January 22, 2025. It changed five areas covering CMC prior-use evidence, permitted CMC logo modifications, VMC trademark checks, government marks, and CAA processing for mark-certificate issuance.

This article records those version 1.7 changes.

Common Mark Certificates were introduced in version 1.6. Version 1.7 added the following proof-of-prior-use provisions.

• Applicants must provide evidence that the mark was displayed publicly for at least 12 months on a website under a domain they control.
• An approved archive source must verify that historical presence. The requirements name archive.org as an example.
• The submitted mark representation must use SVG and follow the color restrictions of the jurisdiction where the mark is recognized.

Version 1.7 also expanded the permitted modifications to a CMC mark.

• Applicants may rearrange text elements within a combined mark, such as moving a word mark from the right side of a logo to below it.
• Applicants may remove up to 49% of a design mark if the core design remains unchanged.
• A single-word mark may be split into multiple parts, and a multiple-word mark may be combined into one word.
• Registered marks may appear in any font or color, including colored or patterned backgrounds.

Version 1.7 also defined the following VMC trademark checks.

• The certification authority must confirm that a registered trademark is in good standing through the relevant trademark office’s official database.
• The certification authority may use the WIPO Global Brand Database instead of a national trademark registry.
• If the applicant does not own the mark, the certification authority must obtain an authorization letter from the owner before issuing the VMC.

These checks require a certification authority to confirm the trademark’s status and the applicant’s right to use it before issuing a VMC.

Version 1.7 explicitly recognized government marks and required certification authorities to complete these checks.

• Verify the mark through a statute, regulation, treaty, or official government action.
• Retain the official records and references used for each validated government mark.
• Confirm that the applicant owns the government mark or holds an official license to use it.

Version 1.7 introduced CAA restrictions for Mark Certificate issuance.

• The new issuevmc property identifies which certification authorities may issue Mark Certificates for a domain.
• The issuevmc property uses the same sub-syntax as the CAA issue property for TLS certificates.

The issuevmc property lets a domain specify which certification authorities may issue Mark Certificates for it.

If you’re applying the current requirements, OnDMARC supports BIMI implementation and VMC or CMC provisioning after a domain reaches DMARC enforcement. Choose the appropriate VMC or CMC path, then check whether the domain and logo are ready for BIMI.