The direct answer
Yes. A certificate can be revoked before its expiry date. A future notAfter date or a historical certificate-log entry is therefore insufficient to establish current acceptance.
How is revocation different from expiry?
Expiry is the end of the certificate’s stated validity period. Revocation is an issuer status change that can occur during that period. The BIMI Group’s issuer directory lists revocation information separately from certificate transparency logs.
The VMC validation draft includes a revocation check. A certificate appearing in a log shows historical evidence; it does not establish that the certificate remains acceptable today.
What should I do if a checker reports revocation?
Record the certificate identity, issuer, timestamp and exact error, then confirm the status and next steps with the issuer. Also verify that the hosted URL is serving the intended current certificate rather than an older file.
Do not try to restore a revoked certificate by changing its filename or copying it to another host. If a replacement is issued, validate the new evidence and update the deployment through the normal change process. Keep the incident separate from ordinary renewal reminders.
Sources & further reading
Provider guidance checked on . Requirements can change; check the original guidance when implementing. Planning checklists and examples are BIMI World’s editorial suggestions.