How long does it take for BIMI to be visible across email clients like Gmail and Yahoo?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 30 Jul 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
9 min read
Getting your brand's logo to appear next to your emails in recipients' inboxes is a powerful way to boost recognition and trust. This is made possible through Brand Indicators for Message Identification, or BIMI. While the concept is straightforward, many senders wonder about the timeline for their BIMI logo to become visible, particularly with major email clients like Gmail and Yahoo. It's not always an instant switch, and several factors can influence the display time.
In this guide, I'll break down the typical waiting periods, explain why there can be variations, and offer insights into ensuring your BIMI logo appears as expected. Understanding the nuances of BIMI implementation is key to leveraging this visual authentication standard effectively for your email program.
Understanding the initial waiting period
The initial visibility of your BIMI logo largely depends on DNS propagation and how quickly email service providers (ESPs) cache or update their records. Once your BIMI DNS TXT record is published, it typically takes anywhere from a few hours to 48 hours for changes to propagate across the internet. This is a standard timeframe for DNS updates, affecting not just BIMI but any DNS record changes.
However, beyond simple DNS propagation, the actual display of the logo in an inbox hinges on the receiving email client's policies and their verification processes. Major providers have their own specific requirements, which can add to the perceived waiting period. For example, Google (Gmail) is known to pick up a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) fairly quickly once published, sometimes within an hour, though full visibility can still be subject to DNS caching, extending it to 24-48 hours. You can find more details on setting up BIMI on the Google Workspace Admin Help site.
For Apple Mail, a VMC is also a prerequisite for BIMI logo display. Yahoo, which includes AOL Mail, has supported BIMI for some time and does not strictly require a VMC, making it potentially quicker to see your logo there if you don't have a VMC. However, their specific criteria for logo display still need to be met. It's important to understand the varying BIMI support across email clients.
The VMC factor and total implementation time
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is a digital certificate that verifies your brand's logo. It's a critical component for BIMI display, especially for email clients like Gmail and Apple Mail. The process of obtaining a VMC can take some time, as it involves verifying your trademarked logo with a certificate authority.
If you are starting from scratch without established DMARC, DKIM, or SPF, or a registered trademark, the entire BIMI implementation, including obtaining a VMC, can take several months. However, if you already have robust email authentication in place and a trademarked logo, the process can be significantly faster, potentially a few days to a week. Once you have your BIMI SVG and certificate validated, the actual visibility timeline becomes more about DNS propagation.
The timeline for BIMI to become visible is not just a single, fixed period. It's influenced by a series of sequential steps and external factors. The table below outlines the key stages and their typical durations.
Step
Description
Typical Timeline
DMARC enforcement
Your domain must have a DMARC policy at p=quarantine or p=reject.
Weeks to months (depends on DMARC maturity)
Trademark registration
Your logo must be a registered trademark in a supported jurisdiction.
Months to a year
VMC acquisition
Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate from an accredited certificate authority for logo verification, essential for Gmail and Apple Mail.
Days to weeks
DNS TXT record publication
Publish your BIMI TXT record with the VMC and SVG logo details.
Hours (DNS propagation)
Email client caching
Email clients like Gmail and Yahoo need to fetch and cache the new BIMI record.
Hours to 48 hours
Email client specific nuances
While DNS propagation is a common factor, the specific behavior of each email client plays a significant role in when your BIMI logo becomes visible. Gmail and Yahoo (and AOL) are currently the most prominent supporters of BIMI, each with slightly different policies. Microsoft (Outlook) has not yet fully adopted BIMI.
For Gmail, the display of your logo is contingent on having a valid VMC, strong DMARC authentication (at enforcement, p=quarantine or p=reject), and a well-formed SVG logo. Once these are in place, Gmail generally updates its records quickly. If you find your BIMI logo isn't showing in Gmail despite correct setup and a VMC, it might be worth checking for other common issues or waiting the full 48 hours for propagation.
For Yahoo Mail, a VMC is not strictly required, which can expedite the process for some senders. However, Yahoo has its own set of internal criteria and reputation checks that influence whether your BIMI logo (or any brand identifier) is displayed. If your BIMI logo isn't showing up in Yahoo Mail, it might be related to these internal policies or caching. Yahoo Inc. Senders Best Practices provides more specific guidance on their requirements.
Troubleshooting delays and inconsistencies
Even after initial visibility, there are reasons why your BIMI logo might not appear consistently or might display an outdated version. DNS caching can sometimes lead to delays in updating a logo if you change your SVG file or VMC. Email clients might also cache older versions of your BIMI record or logo, leading to discrepancies.
If you're seeing an old image or brand identifier associated with your IP address or domain, Yahoo (and other providers) should periodically check for updates to the BIMI record. However, if an update isn't happening automatically, it might indicate an underlying issue with your DNS setup or an extended caching period. In such cases, checking your DNS settings for potential errors and ensuring your Time-to-Live (TTL) values are appropriate for BIMI records can help. You can learn more about how BIMI logo updates in Yahoo cache.
Another factor that affects whether your emails reach the inbox in the first place, and thus if your BIMI logo is seen, is your sender reputation. A poor sender reputation, perhaps due to being on a blacklist or blocklist, can cause emails to be delivered to spam or rejected entirely. If emails don't reach the inbox, the BIMI logo won't be displayed, regardless of correct configuration. This highlights the importance of comprehensive email deliverability strategies, not just BIMI.
Common issues for delayed display
DNS propagation: Changes to your BIMI DNS TXT record can take up to 48 hours to update globally.
VMC verification: The process of obtaining and verifying a VMC can introduce delays.
Email client caching: Even after DNS propagates, ESPs might cache older records for a period.
BIMI record errors: Incorrectly formatted BIMI DNS records or SVG logo files can prevent display.
DMARC policy: Your DMARC policy must be set to enforcement (quarantine or reject).
Ensuring consistent BIMI display
To ensure your BIMI logo appears efficiently across email clients, proactive measures are key. First and foremost, ensure your email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is correctly configured and at an enforcement policy (p=quarantine or p=reject). BIMI builds upon these foundational protocols, so any weakness here can impact its visibility.
Next, pay close attention to your SVG logo file. It must meet specific requirements for size, aspect ratio, and formatting. An invalid SVG can prevent your logo from being displayed, regardless of your DNS setup. Use a BIMI lookup tool to verify your BIMI record and SVG file. Monitoring your DMARC reports can also provide insights into your email authentication status.
Finally, be patient but persistent. While the 24-48 hour window for DNS propagation is common, some email clients may take a little longer to fetch and display the logo due to their internal caching mechanisms. If issues persist beyond this timeframe, re-checking all your configurations and potentially contacting the email client's support for specific guidance (e.g., mail-questions@yahooinc.com for Yahoo) might be necessary. It's a journey to ensure your BIMI verification is fully visible across all platforms.
Best practices
Ensure your DMARC policy is at enforcement (p=quarantine or p=reject) before expecting BIMI to work.
Verify your SVG logo adheres to all BIMI specifications, including square aspect ratio and file size.
Common pitfalls
Forgetting to update the BIMI DNS TXT record after logo or VMC changes can lead to outdated display.
Expecting instant logo visibility immediately after publishing the BIMI record due to DNS caching.
Expert tips
Monitor BIMI display across multiple email clients and devices, as rendering can vary.
Be aware of the varying VMC requirements between email clients, e.g., Yahoo vs. Gmail.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that once a VMC is published, Google usually picks it up within an hour, but actual display can take 24-48 hours depending on DNS caching.
2022-08-02 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that the display of a logo at Yahoo is dependent on meeting their specific criteria.
2022-08-02 - Email Geeks
Bringing your brand to the inbox
The visibility of your BIMI logo across email clients like Gmail and Yahoo isn't immediate, but it's also not an endlessly long wait. With correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations, a valid VMC (if required), and a properly formatted SVG logo, you can expect your logo to appear within 24-48 hours. Factors like DNS propagation, email client caching, and adherence to specific provider requirements all play a role.
Prioritizing the foundational email authentication protocols and understanding the nuances of each email client's BIMI implementation are crucial for success. By meticulously setting up your BIMI records and monitoring their performance, you can confidently display your brand's logo, enhancing trust and recognition in the inbox.
Gmail and 
Yahoo. It's not always an instant switch, and several factors can influence the display time.
Google (Gmail) is known to pick up a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) fairly quickly once published, sometimes within an hour, though full visibility can still be subject to DNS caching, extending it to 24-48 hours. You can find more details on setting up BIMI on the Google Workspace Admin Help site.
Apple Mail, a VMC is also a prerequisite for BIMI logo display. 
Yahoo, which includes AOL Mail, has supported BIMI for some time and does not strictly require a VMC, making it potentially quicker to see your logo there if you don't have a VMC. However, their specific criteria for logo display still need to be met. It's important to understand the varying BIMI support across email clients.
Microsoft (Outlook) has not yet fully adopted BIMI.
