Business Insurance Certificates: Named Insured vs. Holder

Travelers describes a certificate of insurance, or COI, as a document issued by an insurer or broker that summarizes policy information. Its listed details include the named insured, coverage types, limits and effective dates. Travelers

Travelers also distinguishes the documents themselves: the policy is the contractual coverage agreement between the insurer and insured, while the certificate summarizes coverage information.

The Texas Department of Insurance’s certificate FAQ addresses a specific request to add a certificate holder’s officers, employees, subsidiaries, affiliated entities and related people to the certificate-holder box.

In that Texas scenario, TDI says the holder may not use the certificate-holder box to imply or confer new or additional rights beyond those provided by the policy or an executed endorsement. TDI also says the holder may not rely on another legal contract’s naming requirements, beyond the underlying insurance contract, to compel the insurer or agent to comply with that other contract. These are the Texas regulator’s answers to that particular certificate request.

The same Texas Department of Insurance FAQ asks when to check the additional-insured box on an ACORD certificate. TDI’s answer is when the policy includes an endorsement naming the certificate holder as an additional insured. That checkbox question is separate from identifying the certificate’s recipient.

For optional preparation, PolicyBenchmark suggests noting which field or checkbox your question concerns and taking the actual certificate to the issuing insurance professional.

Related pages: General Liability Insurance: Coverage, Exclusions and Cost Factors, Texas Business Insurance Guide 2026, COI & Contract Insurance Checklist and Business Insurance Assessment.

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