Additional insured, certificate holder, waiver
Three requests that sound like one.
When a client, landlord or general contractor asks for insurance documentation, they are usually making one of three distinct requests, and the words are frequently used interchangeably by people who mean different things.
Getting this wrong wastes time at best and leaves a contract unsatisfied at worst, so it is worth being precise about which is being asked for.
Certificate of insurance
A summary document evidencing that cover exists — who is insured, which policies, what limits, and when they expire.
It confers no rights and does not alter the policy. It describes cover; it does not create it, and it does not oblige an insurer to do anything it was not already obliged to do.
A certificate holder is simply the party the certificate was issued to. Being listed as one gives them a copy of the information and nothing more.
Additional insured
This is materially different. Naming someone as an additional insured extends cover under your policy to them, usually for liability arising out of your work for them.
It is done by endorsement to the policy itself rather than by a certificate, so it has to be arranged with the insurer and it may affect the premium.
It protects them, not you. Where a claim arises from your work, their defence and liability can be picked up by your policy — which is exactly why contracts ask for it and why it is worth reading what the contract actually requires.
Waiver of subrogation
Subrogation is your insurer's right to recover from whoever was responsible after paying your claim. A waiver gives up that right against a named party.
So if a client is named in a waiver and something they did causes a loss your insurer pays, your insurer cannot then pursue them for it.
Like an additional insured endorsement, it is a change to the policy rather than a certificate, and insurers do not grant it automatically.
Primary and non-contributory
The other phrase that appears in contracts. It means your policy pays first and does not ask the other party's insurer to contribute.
Without it, two insurers can each argue the other should respond, which delays everything even where cover is not in doubt.
It is also arranged by endorsement. Where a contract asks for it, the certificate alone will not satisfy the requirement.
How to handle the request
Read the insurance clause of the contract rather than working from the covering email. It generally states the covers, the limits, and which of these endorsements are required.
Send it to your insurer or broker as written. They will tell you what is already satisfied, what needs an endorsement, and what is not available — which is better established before signing than afterwards.
Watch the expiry dates. Certificates lapse with the policy, and a client whose file shows expired cover will frequently stop work or withhold payment until a current one arrives.
Common questions
It evidences that cover existed when it was issued. It confers no rights of its own and does not alter the policy, so it describes cover rather than creating it.
It extends cover under your policy to them, usually for liability arising out of your work for them. It is done by endorsement, not by a certificate, and it may affect the premium.
It gives up your insurer's right to recover from that party after paying a claim. It is a change to the policy arranged with the insurer rather than something a certificate can provide.
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General information only, not insurance advice. Coverage, availability, and terms vary by insurer and by state, and are subject to underwriting. Quote My Policy LLC is a licensed insurance producer. Nothing here binds coverage.