COI request email template: copy, paste, send

Updated October 2026. Written for US construction and property firms.

Two ready-to-send emails. One requests a certificate of insurance from a new subcontractor. The other requests a renewal before a policy expires. Replace the parts in square brackets and send.

How do I request a COI from a subcontractor?

Send a written request stating your exact legal entity name as certificate holder and additional insured, the required coverage types, minimum limits, and endorsements. The sub forwards it to their broker, who issues the certificate. A complete request gets an accurate certificate on the first pass.

What should a COI request email include?

It should include your exact legal company name and address, written as they must appear on the certificate. List each coverage type you require and its minimum limit. Name every endorsement you need, such as additional insured. Give the project name, a deadline and an email address where the agent should send the certificate.

Template 1: new subcontractor

Subject: Certificate of insurance needed for [Project name]

Hi [Name],

Before your crew starts on [Project name] on [start date], we need a current certificate of insurance on file. Please forward this email to your insurance agent and ask them to send the certificate directly to [your email].

Certificate holder and additional insured:
[Your exact legal company name]
[Street address, city, state, ZIP]

Required coverage:
1) General liability: $1,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate
2) Workers' compensation: statutory limits, employers' liability $1,000,000
3) Commercial auto: $1,000,000 combined single limit
4) Umbrella: [$ amount, if required for your trade]

Required endorsements (please attach copies):
1) Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations, primary and noncontributory
2) Waiver of subrogation in favor of [Your company name]

We need the certificate by [date]. Without it we cannot give site access.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Company] | [Phone]

Template 2: renewal reminder

Subject: Updated certificate of insurance needed: [policy type] expires [date]

Hi [Name],

Our records show your [policy type] policy expires on [expiration date]. Please ask your insurance agent to send an updated certificate showing the renewed policy to [your email] before that date.

The certificate holder, additional insured wording and limits stay the same as your current certificate.

If the policy has already renewed, a copy of the new certificate is all we need.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Company] | [Phone]

How far ahead of expiration should I request a renewal COI?

30 days before the policy expiration date is standard. Some firms start at 45 or 60 days for slow-responding subs. Automated reminders at 30, 14, and 7 days are a common cadence. Send the first email at 30 days and follow up at 14 and 7 if nothing arrives.

What do I do if a subcontractor does not respond?

Follow up at 14 days and again at 7 days before expiry. Copy your project manager on the last one. Call the agent listed as producer on the old certificate, because they can often send the renewal directly. If the policy expires with no new certificate, keep the sub off site until one arrives.

Chasing is the part that eats the week. CoiPatrol sends the renewal email for you at 30, 14 and 7 days, under your company name and in your own wording. You can also track it all by hand in our free COI tracking spreadsheet.

Why should the certificate come from the agent and not the sub?

The agent or broker who wrote the policy is the only one who should issue the certificate. A certificate typed up or edited by the sub is a fraud red flag. Asking the agent to send it directly to you removes that risk. It also usually gets the wording right the first time.

For what each box on the certificate means, read what a certificate of insurance is. For limits by trade, see subcontractor insurance requirements.