Certificate of insurance (COI): how to get one and what additional insured means

A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page summary that proves your business carries insurance: the insurer, policy numbers, dates and limits. You get one from your insurance agent or insurer. A COI is information only; it doesn't change your policy or give anyone rights under it. If a client or landlord wants to be an additional insured, your policy needs an endorsement, not just a certificate.

By the Fast Insurance Group editorial teamPublished by Marcus L. Barber, former licensed Maryland property and casualty producer (2010–2012)Reviewed by Marcus L. Barber on October 17, 2026Updated October 17, 2026

This guide is general education, not advice for your situation. We're an independent publisher, not an insurer or agent, and we may earn a commission from partner links. How we make money.

What a certificate of insurance is

ACORD, the organization behind the standard forms, describes a certificate as a document that provides information about insurance policies: which coverages you have, the limits and the insurer. For liability coverage, the standard form is the ACORD 25. A typical certificate shows:

• The agent or broker (producer) who issued it
• Your business as the insured
• Each insurer and its NAIC number
• Policy types, numbers, effective and expiration dates
• Limits for each coverage
• Boxes showing additional insured status and waivers of subrogation
• The certificate holder: the person or company who asked for it

ACORD is explicit that a certificate doesn't provide, amend, extend or alter the policy. The ACORD 25 says at the top that it's issued as a matter of information only.

How to get one

1. Contact your insurance agent or insurer. ACORD notes that agents and brokers issue certificates, not ACORD.
2. Give them the certificate holder's exact legal name and address.
3. Send them any written requirements from the contract or lease, such as limits or additional insured status.
4. If additional insured status is required, ask the agent to add the endorsement to your policy first.

Landlords, general contractors, clients, event venues, cities and licensing boards all commonly ask for COIs. Utah's contractor licensing division, for example, must be named as certificate holder for licensees.

Certificate holder vs. additional insured

The ACORD 25 says that if the certificate holder is an additional insured, the policy must have additional insured provisions or be endorsed. The Texas Department of Insurance says the additional insured box should be checked only if the policy includes an endorsement naming the holder. Many contracts, like the City of San Diego's vendor rules, require both: the right limits and additional insured status.

State laws on certificates

• Texas (Insurance Code chapter 1811): a certificate can't confer rights beyond the policy, alter or extend coverage, or reference contract requirements. Violations can bring penalties of up to $1,000 each.
• North Carolina (G.S. 58-3-149): a certificate isn't a policy and doesn't amend coverage. Knowingly preparing, issuing, requesting or requiring a false or misleading certificate, or one that alters coverage, is unlawful, with civil penalties up to $5,000 for people not licensed under the insurance code.
• Georgia: certificates must use ACORD, ISO or approved forms and state that they confer no rights on the holder.

In practice: if a client wants special wording, it has to be in your policy through an endorsement, not typed onto the certificate.

How to verify a COI you receive

If you hire contractors, check their certificates before work starts:

• Ask for the certificate directly from the contractor's agent, not the contractor, and check the contact details match.
• Check the policy dates cover the whole job. Missing or old dates can be a sign of a forged certificate.
• Confirm the limits meet your requirements, remembering that claims paid during the year can reduce them.
• If you need to be an additional insured, ask for a copy of the endorsement.
• When in doubt, contact the agent (producer) or insurer to confirm the policy is active, or ask for a copy of the policy.

For the coverage itself, see general liability insurance.