Insurance Certificate
An insurance certificate (attestation d'assurance in France) 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 numerous professional, real estate, and contractual procedures to prove public liability and professional indemnity coverage. It is equivalent to a Certificate of Insurance (COI) in the US or a Certificate of Employers' Liability in the UK.
Insurance certificates come in several types depending on the context: home insurance certificate (mandatory for tenants in France), professional indemnity certificate (required for many regulated professions), motor insurance certificate (green card), and ten-year building guarantee certificate for construction professionals. Each certificate specifies the nature of covered risks, coverage amounts, validity period, and insurer details.
In document verification and compliance procedures, insurance certificates are systematically requested when concluding commercial contracts, property leases, public procurement contracts, or when practising certain regulated professions. Their verification ensures that the contracting party has the necessary guarantees to cover potential damages related to their activity. Forging insurance certificates is a criminal offence.
Verification solutions like CheckFile.ai automate insurance certificate checks by extracting key data (policy number, validity dates, coverage amounts, insurer name) and detecting inconsistencies or expired documents. Artificial intelligence can identify standard formats from major insurers, verify date validity, and flag insufficient coverage relative to regulatory requirements.
Regulations
Real-world examples
- 1.A landlord requires a home insurance certificate from the tenant before handing over the keys, as tenants' insurance is mandatory under French law.
- 2.A general contractor verifies a subcontractor's professional liability certificate before awarding a construction project, ensuring the coverage meets the contract value.
- 3.A marketplace platform for professional services automatically checks each registered provider's professional indemnity insurance certificate, rejecting expired documents or insufficient coverage levels.