A person who reserved ordinances has died, is incapacitated, or had a withdrawal of membership

Article Id: 975
October 23, 2024
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Before you start

  • You receive an email message when the internal review process is complete and when we release family names. This process can take some time, so we ask for your patience.
  • When we release family names, they are available for anyone to request subject to our 110-year rules. We do not transfer them to another user's temple reservation list.

We handle temple ordinance reservations differently, depending on whether the member died, was incapacitated, or had a withdrawal of membership. You can ask us to release the member's entire family names list. Provide specific information. The process is a manual one. If the reservation list is large, the process can be time consuming.

Deceased members

When a member of the Church dies, the clerk adds the death information. The Membership Department receives the death information and adds a death date. FamilySearch locks the member's account. As a result, the temple ordinance list of the deceased member changes:

  • No one can print new family name cards from the temple ordinance list.
  • Temples continue to do the work for names shared with the temple.
  • We can release names not shared with the temple. Release is subject to the 110-year approval process.
  • You can still complete family name cards that the deceased member printed before the account lock. Please check to be sure the ordinances are not already complete.
  • The system shares the names with the temple in accordance with standard expiration process based on the expiration dates shown with each reservation.

Incapacitated members

A member of the Church becomes incapacitated. Other members can use the helper function to access the temple ordinance list of the member's account.

Withdrawal of membership

When a member of the Church has a withdrawal of membership, the FamilySearch account changes to a public (nonmember) account. As a result, the temple ordinance list changes:

  • The temple ordinance list becomes unavailable to the person and to helpers who access the account.
  • Temples continue to do the work for names already shared with the temple.
  • We can release names not shared with the temple. Release is subject to the 110-year approval process.
  • You can still complete family name cards that the member whose membership was withdrawn printed before the account change. Please check to be sure the ordinances are not already complete.

Request release of a family names list

Please contact FamilySearch. Provide details:

  • Name of the relative.
  • For a deceased relative, provide documentation of death (such as a death certificate, obituary, or funeral program).
  • For a relative who is no longer a Church member, provide a statement about the membership status.
  • Your relationship to the relative.
  • A few of the ID numbers, names, and birth dates of the individuals you believe are on the temple ordinance list.

How do I use the Help Others link in Family Tree?
How do I request ordinances for an ancestor who was born in the last 110 years?
What happens when family group members die, become incapacitated, or no longer use FamilySearch?

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