CANADIAN INSURANCE TERM
Certificate of Insurance
A document that provides evidence of specified insurance coverage in force at the time the certificate is issued, subject to the underlying policy.
Plain-language definition. A real policy, endorsement and provincial law can use more specific wording than a glossary summary.
TermCertificate of Insurance
ContextCanadian insurance
Source typeIndustry glossary
Policy wordingControls claim
What does Certificate of Insurance mean?
A document that provides evidence of specified insurance coverage in force at the time the certificate is issued, subject to the underlying policy.
A certificate summarizes evidence of coverage but does not replace or rewrite the insurance policy. Contracts can require a certificate before work begins.
Certificate of Insurance in practice
A general contractor may ask a subcontractor to provide a certificate showing commercial liability insurance before entering a jobsite.