Bad advice, corrected · checked 19 October 2026
A certificate of insurance confers no rights on you. The form says so.
The common certificate form, ACORD 25, is issued as information only. To be covered as an additional insured, you need the policy provision or an endorsement.
The short version
The common certificate form, ACORD 25, says it's issued as information only and confers no rights on the certificate holder.
If you need to be an additional insured, the form says the policy must have that provision or be endorsed.
So ask for the endorsement itself, not just the certificate. Your contract should require it.
Sources
Checked on 19 October 2026.
"THIS CERTIFICATE IS ISSUED AS A MATTER OF INFORMATION ONLY AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS UPON THE CERTIFICATE HOLDER."
ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance (2016/03), specimen copy on the New York Department of Financial Services site. Top of the form. "If the certificate holder is an ADDITIONAL INSURED, the policy(ies) must have ADDITIONAL INSURED provisions or be endorsed."
ACORD 25 (2016/03). The IMPORTANT box. "This certificate or verification of insurance is not an insurance policy and does not amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policies listed herein."
California Insurance Code section 384. Subdivision (a), the statement a certificate must carry.
ACORD has a newer edition, ACORD 25 (2025/12). Trade reports say only the certifying box changed, so check the edition you receive.
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Psst is made by Zain Ali, who co-founded Aiden Risk, a licensed insurance brokerage. This isn't insurance advice.