What is an endorsement in an insurance policy?

An endorsement is a written change to your policy issued by the insurer after the policy starts — a corrected name, an added family member, a new nominee or a change in vehicle details. Once issued it forms part of the policy, so it counts as much as the original schedule. In one insurer's wording, only the insurer can change the policy, and any change it makes must be evidenced by a written endorsement, signed and stamped.

One insurer's health wording treats endorsements as part of the contract: it defines 'Policy' as the policy wordings, the schedule and any applicable endorsements or extensions attached to it. IRDAI also lists the endorsements and add-on covers attached to the main policy among the matters a general insurance policy must state.^{[1, 2]}

Who can change your policy

In one insurer's wording, only the insurer can. That wording says the policy cannot be modified by anyone — including an insurance agent or broker — except the company, and that any change it makes must be evidenced by a written endorsement, signed and stamped.^[1]

That matters if an agent told you something had been added or corrected. Until you hold an endorsement, assume it has not been.

For life policies the law itself uses the word. Under Section 39 of the Insurance Act, a nomination not written into the policy has to be made by an endorsement on the policy, communicated to the insurer and registered by it.^[3]

Examples of endorsements

• Corrections: A wrong name, date of birth, address or vehicle detail. IRDAI's Citizens' Charter lists post-policy service requests about mistakes or corrections in the policy document as a standard service — see getting a mistake corrected.^[4]
• Nomination: A new or changed nominee. IRDAI's 2024 regulations say a nomination recorded in the schedule, or through an endorsement accepting a change in nomination, is the insurer's valid acknowledgement; one insurer's health wording says a change takes effect only when it is endorsed.^{[5, 1]}
• Changes in the risk: A new address, or a change in how the vehicle is used. One insurer's health wording asks you to tell it in writing of any material change in the risk at each renewal.^[1]
• Sum insured: In one insurer's wording, changed only at renewal and subject to underwriting, and an increase restarts the waiting period only for the increased portion.^[1]

Why endorsements matter when you claim

An endorsement changes the facts a claim is measured against: the insured person's age, who is covered, which vehicle is insured, who receives the money. If a claim decision uses an old detail, the endorsement is your evidence. Keep every endorsement with the policy, and include them whenever you send or upload the policy.

ClaimAssure is an independent private platform. It is not an insurer, IRDAI, Bima Bharosa or the Insurance Ombudsman, it never files anything on your behalf, and it cannot promise any outcome. What it does is read your documents and show you what they say.

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