Guides · residential
What Is a COI? NYC Moving Certificates of Insurance, Explained
Updated July 2026
The 30-second version
A COI (Certificate of Insurance) is a one-page document from your moving company's insurer proving the mover carries liability coverage — and naming your building as an 'additional insured' so the building is protected if a mover scratches the lobby marble. Virtually every doorman, elevator, and managed building in NYC requires one on file before movers are allowed past the front door. No COI, no move: doormen turn away fully loaded trucks over this every single day.
How to get one (it's the mover's job)
You don't buy a COI — your moving company's insurer issues it, usually free and same-day. Your job is to get the requirements from your building's managing agent: the exact legal names to list as additional insured (building corp and management company — the wording must match exactly), minimum coverage amounts (typically $1M general liability, sometimes $2M aggregate plus workers' comp), and where to send it. Forward that to your mover; a legitimate NYC mover does this weekly and will have the certificate back within a day. Both buildings — the one you're leaving and the one you're entering — may each need their own.
Red flags
A mover who hesitates about COIs, asks you to pay extra for one, or 'doesn't usually do that' is telling you they're underinsured or uninsured. This is the single fastest way to screen NYC movers: ask about COIs before you ask about price. If the answer isn't 'send us the building's requirements and we'll have it out today,' keep looking.
Timeline
Ask your managing agent for COI requirements as soon as you have a move date. Most buildings want the certificate on file 24–72 hours before the move, and some tie it to the service-elevator reservation — no COI on file, no elevator slot. Handle it a week out and it's paperwork; handle it move-day morning and it's a crisis.