Additional Insured vs. Certificate Holder
A certificate holder and an additional insured are not the same thing.
A certificate holder is generally the person or organization to whom a Certificate of Insurance is issued. An additional insured has insured status under the policy for specified coverage and circumstances.
The difference matters whenever a contract says, "Add us as an additional insured and send a COI."
Quick comparison
| Certificate holder | Additional insured | |
|---|---|---|
| Receives a COI | Usually | Often, if requested |
| Automatically has insured status | No | Has status only as provided by policy/endorsement |
| Created merely by COI wording | No | No |
| Coverage determined by policy | N/A as certificate holder alone | Yes |
What is a certificate holder?
The certificate holder is the party receiving evidence of insurance.
For example, a landlord may ask a tenant to send a COI showing that the tenant carries general liability insurance. The landlord can be listed as the certificate holder.
That listing alone does not grant the landlord insured status.
What is an additional insured?
An additional insured receives specified protection under the policy.
That status may be created by a specific endorsement or by policy language that automatically applies when stated conditions are met.
Read What Is an Additional Insured?
Can someone be both?
Yes.
A party can be both the certificate holder receiving the COI and an additional insured under the policy.
Those are still two separate concepts.
Does the Certificate of Insurance create coverage?
Generally, no.
A COI is evidence/information about insurance. The policy and endorsements determine the actual coverage.
If a contract requires additional insured status, the important question is whether the policy provides that status—not merely whether a certificate contains the party's name.
Example
Suppose an LLC leases an office.
The lease requires:
- $1 million of general liability insurance;
- the landlord to be an additional insured; and
- a COI sent to the landlord.
The LLC may need to arrange the required additional insured status under the policy and then provide the landlord a certificate showing the applicable insurance information.
Simply listing the landlord in the certificate-holder box would not, by itself, satisfy a contractual requirement for additional insured status.
What if the contract asks for special wording?
Do not promise wording or coverage that the policy does not provide.
Send the insurance requirements to the insurer or insurance professional. Some requests require endorsements, some may already be addressed by policy language, and some may not be available.