# Insure a copy

When a copy is valuable enough to insure, the policy details deserve to live next to the thing they cover, not in a drawer. An insurance record keeps the provider, the insured value, and the policy dates on the copy itself, so you always know what is covered and until when.

This is one of the record types introduced in [A copy's history explained](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/core-concepts/copy-history). Like the others, it is history: a copy can carry many insurance records over time, and taking out a new policy writes a new record rather than overwriting the old one.

## When to use it

Insure a copy in KolleK when a real policy exists, whether the copy is covered by a dedicated policy, scheduled individually on a broader one, or covered by your household insurance with a rider. The record is your reference, not the policy itself. It reminds you what you declared, for how much, and when it runs out.

Priya insures her most valuable watch, a 1968 Omega Speedmaster recently valued at 5,500, through a collectibles insurer. Here is how she records it.

## Add an insurance record

::::steps
:::step title="Open the copy's history"
Open the item, go to its **History** tab, select the copy, and open the **Insurance** section.

::screenshot{label="History tab with the Insurance section open"}
:::

:::step title="Record the policy basics"
Add an insurance record and fill in the **provider**, the **insured value**, and the **policy number**.
:::

:::step title="Describe the coverage"
Fill in the **coverage type** in your own words (for example "scheduled item" or "all risks"), the **deductible**, and the **start** and **end dates**. Turn on **listed individually on the policy** if this item is named on the policy by itself, rather than covered as part of your general contents coverage.
:::

:::step title="Add the insurer's contact details and status"
Record the insurer's **contact details** so a claim does not start with a search through old emails, set the **status**, and save.
:::
::::

## Statuses

An insurance record is always in one of four statuses:

- **Active**. The policy currently covers the copy.
- **Pending**. Arranged but not yet in force.
- **Expired**. The end date has passed.
- **Cancelled**. Ended before its term.

Expired and cancelled records stay in the history but read as dimmed entries behind the current one. That is deliberate: an old policy is still useful evidence of how the copy was valued and covered over the years.

:::note
When a policy renews at a new value, add a new insurance record rather than editing the old one. The sequence of records shows how coverage followed the copy's value over time.
:::

## Keep the paperwork attached

An insurance record becomes far more useful with the policy document attached to it. You can [attach documents](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/copy-history/attach-documents) directly to an insurance record, so the schedule or certificate is one click away when you need it.

If you insured the copy for a professionally appraised value, record that appraisal as a valuation of type **Insurance value** too. See [Record what you paid and what it is worth](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/copy-history/record-payments-and-value).

## Where to next

- Attach the policy schedule to the record in [Attach documents to a copy](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/copy-history/attach-documents).
- Record the valuation the coverage is based on in [Record what you paid and what it is worth](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/copy-history/record-payments-and-value).
- See how insurance shows up alongside everything else in [Read the copy timeline](https://getkollek.com/en/docs/copy-history/read-the-copy-timeline).