Last reviewed: September 22, 2026
A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a summary document showing your active coverage: carrier, policy numbers, limits, and effective dates. It's not the policy itself and it doesn't add coverage. If a GC or property owner keeps rejecting yours, it's almost always about additional insured status or wording, not the certificate itself.
A COI doesn't add anyone as an additional insured on your policy. That requires an endorsement. It doesn't guarantee coverage for a specific claim, and it expires when your policy renews, so it needs reissuing annually or whenever the policy changes.
Usually one of three things: the certificate holder isn't listed as an additional insured when the contract requires it, the limits don't meet the contract's minimum, or the certificate is outdated because a policy renewed and a new one wasn't issued.
The certificate holder is just who receives the document. Being named an additional insured is a different, contractual status that actually extends certain coverage to that party. It requires an endorsement on the policy, not just a line on the certificate.
Send me the exact wording the contract or GC requires. They'll often give you a sample certificate or the specific language, and I can usually get a corrected one issued the same day.
Does getting a COI cost extra? Issuing the certificate itself is usually free. Adding someone as an additional insured may carry a small fee depending on the carrier.
How long is a COI valid? Until your policy's next renewal or any change that affects the listed coverage. After that it needs to be reissued.
Send me what the contract requires and I'll get it fixed today.
— Aaron