Both "additional insured" and "certificate holder" are terms used in insurance policies, but they refer to different things.
An additional insured is a person or entity that is added to an insurance policy to provide coverage for claims arising from the actions or negligence of the named insured. This means that if the additional insured is sued for something related to the named insured's business or activities, the insurance policy will also cover the additional insured. For example, if a construction company hires a subcontractor to work on a project and adds the subcontractor as an additional insured on their liability insurance policy, the subcontractor would also be covered if they were sued for something related to the project.
On the other hand, a certificate holder is simply a person or entity that is listed on an insurance certificate as having been issued the certificate. This means that the certificate holder has proof that the insurance policy exists, but it does not necessarily mean that the certificate holder is covered by the policy. For example, a property owner might require a contractor to provide a certificate of insurance showing that they have liability insurance coverage before allowing them to begin work on the property. In this case, the property owner would be listed as the certificate holder on the insurance certificate, but they would not be covered by the policy itself.
In summary, while both additional insured and certificate holder are terms used in insurance policies, they refer to different things. Additional insureds are people or entities added to the policy for coverage, while certificate holders are simply individuals who receive proof of the insurance policy's existence.