Certificate Holder

Overview

A Certificate Holder is the person or organization that requests a Certificate of Insurance and is listed in the designated certificate holder box on the form. The certificate holder is the intended recipient of the document — the party that needs evidence of the insured's coverage.

What Being a Certificate Holder Means

Being named as a certificate holder means:

• You receive the certificate document
• You may be entitled to notice if the policy is cancelled (depending on the policy and state law)
• You have documentation that the insured had coverage as of the certificate date

What it does not mean:

• You have no coverage rights under the insured's policy
• You cannot file a claim under the insured's policy
• You are not protected from subrogation by the insured's carrier

Certificate Holder vs. Additional Insured

This distinction is critical and frequently confused:

Many compliance failures occur when an organization believes they are protected because they are listed as certificate holder, when in fact they needed to be named as Additional Insured.

On the ACORD 25

The certificate holder section is in the lower-left corner of the ACORD 25 form. It should contain your organization's correct legal name, address, and any specific project or location reference.

Example

A shopping mall requires all tenants to provide COIs listing the mall's management company as certificate holder. The management company receives the certificates and files them. However, if the management company is not also named as Additional Insured via endorsement, they have no coverage under the tenant's policies if a claim arises.