Virginia Code 38.2-518: Certificates of insurance
A. As used in this section, “certificate of insurance” means a document, regardless of how titled or described, that is provided to a third party and is prepared or issued by an insurer or insurance producer as a statement or summary of an insured’s property or casualty insurance coverage. The term does not include any (i) policy of insurance, (ii) insurance binder, (iii) policy endorsement, (iv) automobile identification card, (v) certificate issued under a group or master policy, or (vi) evidence of coverage provided to a lender in a lending transaction involving a mortgage, lien, deed of trust, or other security interest in or on any real or personal property.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 38.2-518
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Insurer: means an insurance company. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, company, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds type of organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- State: means any commonwealth, state, territory, district or insular possession of the United States. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
B. No person shall issue or deliver any certificate of insurance that attempts to confer any rights upon a third party beyond what the referenced policy of insurance expressly provides.
C. No certificate of insurance may represent an insurer’s obligation to give notice of cancellation or nonrenewal to a third party unless the giving of such notice is required by the policy.
D. No person shall issue or deliver a certificate of insurance unless it contains a substantially similar statement to the following: “This certificate of insurance is issued as a matter of information only. It confers no rights upon the third party requesting the certificate beyond what the referenced policy of insurance expressly provides. This certificate of insurance does not extend, amend, or alter the coverage, terms, exclusions, or conditions afforded by the policy referenced in this certificate of insurance.” If a certificate of insurance is required by a state or federal agency and accurately reflects the coverage provided by the underlying policies, no such statement is required.
E. No person shall knowingly demand or require the issuance of a certificate of insurance from an insurer, insurance producer, or policyholder that contains any false or misleading information concerning the policy of insurance to which the certificate makes reference.
F. No person shall knowingly prepare or issue a certificate of insurance that contains any false or misleading information or that purports to affirmatively or negatively alter, amend, or extend the coverage provided by the policy of insurance to which the certificate makes reference.
G. The provisions of this section shall apply to all certificate holders, policyholders, insurers, insurance producers, and certificate of insurance forms issued as a statement or summary of insurance coverages on property, operations, or risks located in the Commonwealth.