Managing Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) is crucial for maintaining your brand's presence in the inbox. These certificates link your trademarked logo to your authenticated emails via BIMI records, adding a layer of trust and visibility for your recipients. Just like any other digital certificate, VMCs have an expiration date.
Missing a VMC expiry can lead to your brand logo disappearing from prominent email clients such as Gmail and Yahoo, undermining the very trust and recognition you worked to build. This also impacts the perceived authenticity of your emails, potentially affecting your email deliverability.
So, how can you determine when your VMC is set to expire? Let's explore the methods to check your VMC expiry date and ensure your brand's consistent visibility.
Checking your BIMI record and VMC file
The most straightforward way to check your VMC expiry is by inspecting your BIMI DNS record. Your BIMI record contains a pointer to your VMC, which is typically hosted as a Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) file on your web server. Online tools designed for BIMI validation can often retrieve and display this information for you.
These tools parse your BIMI record, locate the URI for your VMC, and then fetch the certificate to display its details, including the issuance and expiration dates. This method is quick and requires no special technical expertise, making it accessible for anyone needing to verify the VMC status.
You can typically find the VMC file location by looking for the l= tag within your BIMI record. This tag specifies the URL where your VMC is hosted.
Once you have the VMC file (which is a X.509 certificate in PEM format), you can decode it locally using command-line tools like OpenSSL or various online certificate decoders provided by Certificate Authorities (CAs). This gives you direct access to all the certificate details, including the notBefore (start date) and notAfter (expiration date) fields.
Consulting your Certificate Authority (CA)
Certificate Authorities (CAs) like DigiCert or GlobalSign are the issuers of your VMC. They often provide a customer portal or account area where you can view all your purchased certificates and their respective expiry dates. This is a reliable source of truth for your certificate's lifecycle.
Additionally, CAs typically send automated email notifications to remind you when your VMC is nearing its expiration. Make sure the contact email associated with your certificate purchase is active and monitored to receive these critical alerts. Neglecting these notifications could lead to an unexpected lapse in your VMC.
Keep in mind that while some CAs may offer multi-year plans, a VMC generally requires revalidation and reissuance every 397 days (approximately 13 months) to adhere to industry standards, similar to Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates. This means even if you bought a multi-year VMC, you'll still need to go through a revalidation process periodically.
Standard VMC validity
Maximum duration: VMCs are generally issued for a maximum of one year, plus a grace period, typically up to 397 days.
To prevent unexpected VMC expiry, consider implementing a monitoring strategy. This can involve setting up calendar reminders, integrating with monitoring services, or building internal tools that check your VMC status regularly.
Proactive monitoring helps you stay ahead of potential issues and ensures that your brand logo continues to display correctly in email clients. Automated alerts are particularly valuable here, notifying you well in advance of the expiry date.
Remember that maintaining a VMC requires adherence to strict validation processes, including having a registered trademark and a DMARC policy at enforcement. Regular checks ensure all components of your BIMI implementation remain functional.
Manual checks
Requires manually visiting various tools or your CA portal. Can be prone to human error if not diligent. Good for ad-hoc verification.
Automated monitoring
Provides continuous oversight and timely alerts. Reduces risk of unexpected expiry. Best practice for critical certificates.
Understanding date formats
Understanding date formats is essential when checking expiry dates, especially if you're using international tools or working with data from different regions. Dates can be presented in various formats, such as DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, or the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD).
A common pitfall is misinterpreting the month and day, leading to incorrect assumptions about the expiry. Always confirm the format being used by the tool or platform displaying the date to avoid any confusion or unexpected expirations. The ISO 8601 standard is generally preferred for its unambiguous nature.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always keep contact information up to date with your Certificate Authority to receive renewal notices.
Set calendar reminders for 60 and 30 days before the VMC expiration date.
Regularly verify your BIMI DNS record is correctly pointing to your VMC.
Common pitfalls
Forgetting to revalidate your VMC annually, even if you paid for a multi-year certificate.
Misinterpreting date formats (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY vs. MM/DD/YYYY) when checking expiry.
Not monitoring your BIMI record for changes or issues that could affect VMC display.
Expert tips
Implement automated certificate monitoring checks to ensure continuous VMC validity.
Maintain strong internal processes for VMC renewal to align with legal and marketing teams.
Review your VMC acquisition process to explore options for expediting issuance if needed.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says that if your VMC is linked in the BIMI record, using an online BIMI checker tool is an effective way to find its expiry date. Alternatively, you can decode the PEM file directly if you have access to it.
2024-01-10 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says that when checking VMC expiration dates on certain tools, it's important to be aware that the date might be presented in DD/MM/YYYY format, which can be confusing for those accustomed to MM/DD/YYYY.
2024-01-11 - Email Geeks
Ensuring continuous brand presence
Knowing how to find your VMC expiry date is a fundamental aspect of maintaining your brand's email authentication and visibility. Whether you rely on online BIMI validators, direct certificate decoding, or your Certificate Authority's portal, regular checks are key.
Proactive management ensures that your valuable trademarked logo continues to appear next to your sender name, reinforcing trust and enhancing brand recognition in every email you send.
Gmail and 
Yahoo, undermining the very trust and recognition you worked to build. This also impacts the perceived authenticity of your emails, potentially affecting your email deliverability.
DigiCert or 
GlobalSign are the issuers of your VMC. They often provide a customer portal or account area where you can view all your purchased certificates and their respective expiry dates. This is a reliable source of truth for your certificate's lifecycle.
