Michigan No-Fault Law, section by section › MCL 500.3101a
Providing certificate of insurance to secretary of state and policy information to the Michigan automobile insurance placement facility; vehicle identification number as proof of vehicle insurance; confidentiality of policy information; prohibited acts; misdemeanor; penalty; report; "automobile insurance" and "private passenger nonfleet automobile" defined.
In plain terms
Insurers must issue a certificate of insurance for each insured vehicle and report policy data (VINs, policy numbers, named insureds) to the Secretary of State, which shares it with the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility for assigned-claims administration and with the Department of Health and Human Services. Supplying false information or using a counterfeit certificate is a misdemeanor.
How this section works in practice
Section 3101a is the plumbing behind the Secretary of State's insurance records. Every insurer must give the policyholder a certificate of insurance for each vehicle and must report the insured's name, address, policy number and each vehicle identification number to the Secretary of State, at least every 14 days. The state shares that data with the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility, which runs the assigned claims plan and uses the database to find coverage that an injured person cannot identify, and with the Department of Health and Human Services for Medicaid recovery.
Two practical points follow. First, subsection (4) says the VIN transmission is proof of insurance for registration purposes only; it is not evidence that a policy actually existed on the day of the crash. A lapsed or cancelled policy can still show as "insured" at the branch office. Second, supplying false information or using an altered or counterfeit certificate is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. If you are ever unsure whether a policy was in force, the answer comes from the insurer's own records and the premium history, not from the registration screen.
Text of MCL 500.3101a
Sec. 3101a.
(1) An insurer, in conjunction with the issuance of an automobile insurance policy, shall provide to the insured 1 certificate of insurance for each insured vehicle and for private passenger nonfleet automobiles listed on the policy shall supply to the secretary of state the automobile insurer's name, the name of the named insured, the named insured's address, the vehicle identification number for each vehicle listed on the policy, and the policy number. The insurer shall transmit the information required under this subsection in a format as required by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall not require the information to be transmitted more frequently than every 14 days.
(2) The secretary of state shall provide policy information received under subsection (1) to the Michigan automobile insurance placement facility as required for the Michigan automobile insurance placement facility to comply with this act. Information received by the Michigan automobile insurance placement facility under this subsection is confidential and is not subject to the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246. The Michigan automobile insurance placement facility shall only use the information for purposes of administering the assigned claims plan under this chapter and shall not disclose the information to any person unless it is for the purpose of administering the assigned claims plan or in compliance with an order by a court of competent jurisdiction in connection with a fraud investigation or prosecution.
(3) The secretary of state shall provide policy information received under subsection (1) to the department of health and human services as required for the department of health and human services to comply with 2006 PA 593, MCL 550.281 to 550.289.
(4) The secretary of state shall accept as proof of vehicle insurance a transmission of the insured vehicle's vehicle identification number. Policy information submitted by an insurer and received by the secretary of state under this section is confidential, is not subject to the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246, and must not be disclosed to any person except the department of health and human services for purposes of 2006 PA 593, MCL 550.281 to 550.289, or pursuant to an order by a court of competent jurisdiction in connection with a claim or fraud investigation or prosecution. The transmission to the secretary of state of a vehicle identification number is proof of insurance to the secretary of state for motor vehicle registration purposes only and is not evidence that a policy of insurance actually exists between an insurer and an individual.
(5) A person who supplies false information to the secretary of state under this section or who issues or uses an altered, fraudulent, or counterfeit certificate of insurance is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both.
(6) The department of health and human services shall report to the senate and house of representatives appropriations committees and standing committees concerning insurance issues on the number of claims and total dollar amount recovered from automobile insurers under 2006 PA 593, MCL 550.281 to 550.289. The reports required by this subsection must be given to the appropriations committees and standing committees concerning insurance issues by December 30 of each year and must cover the preceding 12-month period.
(7) As used in this section:
(a) "Automobile insurance" means that term as defined in section 3303.
(b) "Private passenger nonfleet automobile" means that term as defined in section 3303.
History: Add. 1980, Act 461, Eff. Apr. 1, 1981 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 288, Imd. Eff. Jan. 9, 1996 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 456, Imd. Eff. Dec. 23, 1996 ;-- Am. 2011, Act 91, Imd. Eff. July 15, 2011 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 419, Imd. Eff. Dec. 30, 2014 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 510, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2018 ;-- Am. 2019, Act 21, Imd. Eff. June 11, 2019
Source: MCL 500.3101a at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 15, 2026.
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
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