Certificates of insurance

What a certificate actually is

A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary of a policy that already exists. It shows who is insured, which coverages are in force, the limits, and the policy dates. It is evidence — it does not create coverage, it does not change your policy, and it cannot give someone rights the policy itself does not give them.

That last point is worth holding on to, because it explains why a certificate can only be issued after purchase. There is nothing to certify until there is a policy.

Certificate holder versus additional insured

These two get used interchangeably in vendor agreements, and they are not the same thing.

• Certificate holder is simply the party the certificate is addressed to. They receive the evidence and are typically notified if the policy is cancelled. It gives them no coverage.
• Additional insured extends certain protections of your policy to that party, usually for claims arising out of your operations. It changes the policy itself, normally by endorsement, and it is not automatic — it has to be permitted by the policy and actually added.

If your agreement says the venue must be named as additional insured, do not assume that listing them as certificate holder satisfies it. Read the clause and tell us what it says.

Have this ready

Nearly every delay in getting a certificate comes down to missing details. Before you ask for one, have:

• The exact legal name of the market, mall, pod or organizer — not the trading name on the sign.
• Their full mailing address, including suite or unit.
• The limits your vendor agreement or lease requires.
• Whether they must be added as additional insured, and any specific wording the agreement demands.
• Your event or lease dates.

One certificate per location

Vendors who trade at several markets often need a separate certificate for each, because each one wants its own name on the document. If you are working a circuit, gather the legal names and addresses once and keep them somewhere you can find them — it turns a recurring scramble into a two-minute job.

Selling at a single event rather than a full season? See one-day and short-term cover. Operating the site rather than a stall? See food court and food pod insurance.