What is the term for the person who owns an insurance policy?

The person who owns an insurance policy is called the policyholder.

The policyholder enters into the contract with the insurer, pays premiums, and has rights such as changing coverage, naming beneficiaries, or canceling the policy. For an individual policy, the policyholder is often also the insured—the person whose life, health, property, or liability is covered—but those roles can be different.

A common mix-up is confusing the policyholder with an agent. An agent sells or services insurance for an insurer but does not own the customer's policy. The insured is the person or property protected by the policy, while a beneficiary receives a payout under certain policies, especially life insurance.

Businesses, parents, and trusts can also be policyholders. For example, a company may own a life-insurance policy covering an employee, or a parent may own a policy covering a child. The exact rights depend on the policy wording and local insurance law.