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Certificates of Insurance

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Certificates of Insurance (COIs) are provided to external parties as proof that McMaster University maintains appropriate insurance coverage. COIs are issued only for official, sanctioned activities or agreements involving McMaster staff, faculty, or students, such as renting space at offsite locations or collaborating with third-party organizations. COIs are not provided for informal or unsanctioned events organized independently by student groups. All certificate of insurance requests should be submitted to the entrisk@mcmaster.ca

COIs are often requested by external parties who engage with the University for proof that the University has sufficient insurance coverage. For example, when McMaster University rents space in an offsite, non-McMaster owned location, the owner of the property will request proof of McMaster’s insurance through a COI. 

McMaster University Departments or Faculties should request a Certificate of Insurance when engaging with an external party to ensure the external party has sufficient insurance coverage. Please ensure that the certificate is received by McMaster University prior to services being provided or before the activity outlined in the contract begins. Please forward a copy of the Certificate of Insurance to the Enterprise Risk Management Department.

  • The named insured must match the name in the contract
  • The appropriate insurance coverage and limits must be shown
  • The Certificate Holder section should show the McMaster University contact name and address
  • The Description of Activity or Operations should describe the specific duty, service or event

Information Box Group

To request a certificate of insurance