Certificate of Insurance
A certificate of insurance (COI) is an official document issued by an insurance company certifying that a natural or legal person holds valid insurance coverage for a specified period and defined risks. It is required in professional, real estate, and contractual procedures worldwide to prove liability and indemnity coverage. Known as COI — Certificate of Insurance (US), insurance certificate or schedule of insurance (UK), attestation d'assurance (France), and Versicherungsnachweis or Versicherungsbestatigung (Germany).
Certificates of insurance come in several types depending on the context and jurisdiction:
- **United States**: The ACORD certificate (standardized by the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) is the industry standard. Common types include General Liability (CGL), Professional Liability (E&O), Workers' Compensation, and Commercial Auto. Certificate holders (landlords, general contractors, clients) are frequently listed as "additional insured." - **United Kingdom**: Employers' Liability insurance is legally mandatory under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) is required by many regulators (SRA for solicitors, FCA for financial advisers). Certificates must be displayed or available on request. - **France**: Home insurance (assurance habitation) is mandatory for tenants. Professional liability (responsabilite civile professionnelle) and ten-year building guarantee (garantie decennale) certificates are required for regulated professions and construction. - **Germany**: Betriebshaftpflichtversicherung (business liability insurance) and Berufshaftpflichtversicherung (professional liability) are standard requirements. Proof is provided via Versicherungsbestatigung. - **Australia**: Public liability insurance and professional indemnity are common requirements. Workers' compensation insurance is mandatory in all states.
In document verification and compliance procedures, certificates of insurance are systematically requested when concluding commercial contracts, property leases, public procurement bids, or when practising regulated professions. Their verification ensures that the contracting party has adequate coverage to protect against potential liabilities. Presenting a forged or expired insurance certificate is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.
Verification solutions like CheckFile.ai automate insurance certificate checks by extracting key data (policy number, validity dates, coverage amounts, insurer name, named insured, additional insured parties) and detecting inconsistencies or expired documents. Artificial intelligence can identify standard formats (such as ACORD forms), verify date validity, and flag insufficient coverage relative to contractual or regulatory requirements.
Regulations
Real-world examples
- 1A US general contractor requires an ACORD certificate of insurance from every subcontractor before work begins, verifying that general liability coverage meets the $1M per-occurrence minimum specified in the contract.
- 2A UK commercial landlord checks the tenant's Employers' Liability certificate before signing the lease, as display of this insurance is a legal requirement for any business with employees.
- 3A European marketplace platform for professional services automatically validates each provider's insurance certificate across jurisdictions, rejecting expired documents or coverage amounts below the regulatory minimum for the provider's profession.