What is a Certificate of Insurance?

What’s Included in a Certificate of Insurance?

In most cases, your certificate of insurance will include the following sections:

• Summary of Benefits: Travel insurance benefits can vary dramatically from one plan to the next. Within your certificate, your provider will specify exactly which benefits are included in the policy you purchased, along with their respective coverage limits. Most certificates will also include information about when coverage begins for each benefit.

• Exclusions: Travel insurance only covers events listed within the policy. Most providers will dedicate an entire section of their policy certificates to list the activities, expenses, and scenarios that are not covered. This information is important as you will be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses relating to an excluded incident.

• Definitions: Travel insurance lingo can get complicated, and providers often have unique definitions for terms used within their certificate. To avoid confusion, providers will often include their definitions for common travel insurance words, expressions, and phrases.

• Claims Information: In the event you need to file a claim, you can reference your certificate of insurance for support. Your certificate will typically include important contact information, procedures, and requirements that must be met when formally submitting your claim.
  

Do I Need a Certificate of Insurance?

A certificate of insurance will be provided to you each time you buy a policy. It’s important to keep it safe and accessible in the event you need to reference it before, during, or after your trip.

It’s unlikely that you will need to present your policy certificate to anyone unless your destination, common carrier, or tour operator has specific travel insurance requirements. If this is the case, we recommend printing out a copy of your certificate before your trip’s departure date.

How to Get a Certificate of Insurance

A certificate of insurance will almost always be sent to the email address that you entered upon purchase. If you misplaced your certificate or were never sent one in the first place, you can request a new certificate directly from your travel insurance provider free of charge.