Certificate of Insurance: Get Yours in Under Two Minutes
A contractor wins a bid and the general contractor needs a COI before work starts Monday. A tenant signs a commercial lease and the landlord won't hand over the keys without proof of GL. A vendor is onboarded and procurement won't approve the PO without a certificate on file.
Key Concepts
What a COI is and what it is not.
A COI is a one-page summary of your active insurance coverage, issued on the standard ACORD 25 form. It is not the policy itself. It proves that coverage exists, identifies the type and limits, and names the party requesting proof. Almost every commercial contract, lease, and vendor agreement requires one before work begins.
Important
What a COI does not prove
A COI is a snapshot issued on a specific date. It proves coverage existed at issuance. It does not guarantee that coverage remained active throughout the duration of a project or lease. If a policy lapses after the certificate is issued, the COI doesn't reflect that. A COI is also not the policy. Exclusions, sub-limits, and endorsement conditions that affect a claim are in the underlying policy, not the certificate. And being listed as certificate holder does not grant additional insured status.
Distinction
Additional insured vs certificate holder
A certificate holder receives a copy of the COI and notification if the policy is cancelled. They have no rights under the policy itself. An additional insured is extended coverage under the policyholder's policy for specified operations. They can make a direct claim against that policy. Adding an additional insured requires a policy endorsement, not just a field on the certificate. Most contracts require both: the requesting party named as certificate holder on the COI, and an additional insured endorsement attached to the underlying general liability policy.
Reference
What Types of Coverage Appear on a COI?
Each active policy generates its own row on the ACORD 25 form with its own limits and policy number. A business with multiple lines of coverage will have all of them reflected on a single certificate.
General liability
Most commonWhat it pays for
Bodily injury, property damage, and personal/advertising injury to third parties
Common example
Almost every contract, lease, and vendor agreement specifies a GL limit as a minimum requirement
Commercial auto
Vehicle opsWhat it pays for
Liability and physical damage for business-operated vehicles
Common example
Lenders or clients require proof that business vehicles are covered
Workers comp & employer's liability
Employee coverageWhat it pays for
Medical costs and lost wages for on-the-job injuries; employer lawsuit defense
Common example
Contractors and businesses with employees on third-party sites need proof before work begins
Umbrella / excess liability
Higher limitsWhat it pays for
Additional limit that stacks on top of underlying GL, auto, or employer liability
Common example
Clients and GCs requiring higher total limits than a primary GL policy provides
Professional liability & cyber
Specialty linesWhat it pays for
Errors in professional services; data breach and cyber incident response costs
Common example
Technology engagements and data-handling contracts with specific minimum limits
Common Scenarios
When You Need a Certificate of Insurance
A COI request can come from almost any direction. These are the most common trigger scenarios.
Signing a commercial lease
Most landlords require proof of general liability before handing over keys, often with themselves named as additional insured. Some also require tenants to carry property coverage above a minimum limit.
Starting work as a contractor or subcontractor
General contractors require a COI from every sub before they set foot on a job site. Many require specific limits, primary-and-non-contributory wording, and the GC named as additional insured.
Vendor onboarding with enterprise clients or government agencies
Procurement departments won't approve a vendor without a COI on file. Government contracts often specify minimum limits by coverage type and require the agency named as additional insured.
Bidding on public or commercial contracts
COI requirements are frequently listed as a bid condition. Missing or incorrect certificates disqualify bids before the work is even reviewed.
Running an event at a third-party venue
Venues require proof of coverage before any event takes place. Event liability coverage and the venue named as additional insured are standard requirements.
Equipment or vehicle financing and leasing
Lenders and leasing companies require proof of commercial property or commercial auto coverage, with themselves listed as loss payee or additional insured on the policy.
Professional services engagements
Enterprise and institutional clients increasingly require proof of professional liability coverage alongside GL before a statement of work is signed.
If you have a deal closing, a job starting, or a contract requirement on your desk right now, speak to our team and we can move.
ACORD 25 Form
COI at a Glance
The standard ACORD 25 form fields and what each one means. Understanding these fields helps you verify that a COI you receive, or one you request, is complete and accurate.
Named insured
The business or individual that holds the insurance policy.
Producer (broker)
The insurance broker or agent who arranged the coverage.
Insurer(s)
The carrier(s) providing the coverage. Multiple carriers may appear if different lines are placed separately.
Coverage types
Each active line of coverage (GL, auto, workers comp, umbrella) is listed with its own section.
Policy numbers
The unique identifier for each policy listed on the certificate.
Effective and expiration dates
The active coverage window for each policy. The COI is valid only during this period.
Limits
Per-occurrence, aggregate, and any applicable sub-limits for each coverage type.
Certificate holder
The party requesting proof of insurance. They receive the certificate and cancellation notice.
The description of operations field is free-text, describing the project, contract, or relationship the certificate is issued for.
If applicable, additional insured status is noted separately and requires a policy endorsement, not just a field on the certificate.
Process
How Rosella Issues COIs
Most brokerages issue COIs during business hours, through a manual process that involves emailing a request, waiting for a staff member to pull the policy, generate the certificate, and send it back. If the request comes in late Friday or the night before a job starts, you're waiting.
Automated Notifications: The certificate holder is notified automatically if the underlying policy is cancelled or non-renewed.
Your policy is bound through Rosella
Once coverage is placed with a carrier, your policy details are loaded into our system. This is the prerequisite for issuing any certificate.
Request a COI any time, day or night
Certificates of insurance are issued in under two minutes, around the clock. No email chain. No waiting until business hours. No ticket submitted to a service queue.
Endorsements and special requirements handled
Additional insured endorsements, waiver of subrogation requests, and primary-and-non-contributory wording are handled without a multi-day email chain. When a contract requires non-standard endorsement language, our brokers review the contract terms and match the wording to the carrier form before the certificate goes out.
If you have a deal closing, a job starting, or a contract requirement on your desk right now, we can move.
Get a quote
Tell us about your business and we will come back with carrier options and real numbers in a few business days.
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Need a COI Right Now?
If your policy is already bound through Rosella, request a certificate and have it in hand in under two minutes. If you need coverage first, get a quote and we'll move fast.