Reserved ordinances automatically expire on the date listed on your reservation list. After that, they are shared with the temple, and other people can reserve them.
Sharing names with the temple allows other family members to reserve names through Ordinances Ready. When you share names, you make temple blessings available to Church members who cannot take their own family names to the temple. As long as no one reserves or prints the name, you can reserve the name again.
The process of a reservation expiring works like this:
- Three weeks before the reservation expires, FamilySearch sends a message stating that the reservation is about to expire.
- All ordinance expirations are processed within 24 hours after the expiration date passes and the name leaves your reservation list. The name leaves any shared group list. The system shares it with the temple in most instances. When a name no longer qualifies for ordinances, it is not shared with the temple. Reservations for people born less than 110 years ago are also not shared with the temple. If you printed a family name card, you receive a FamilySearch message that the reservation has expired.
- After the ordinance is shared with the temple, other people can reserve it for 120 days.
- Eventually, the temple prints the family name card. At that point, the ordinance can no longer be reserved.
Names that are unreserved but not shared with the temple
If a name is unreserved but not shared with the temple, it is most likely due to one of the following circumstances:
- The name no longer qualifies for ordinances.
- The reserved ordinances are for a person who was born less than 110 years ago.
Receiving notifications about expiring reservations
Before a reservation expires, you receive a FamilySearch message telling you about the upcoming expiration. The FamilySearch message identifies the person whose ordinances are expiring and provides a link to the Family Tree profile.
If you have printed a family name card, you also receive a notice after the reservation expires. To help prevent duplicate ordinances, please destroy the card.
The FamilySearch message notifications can be delayed for up to 24 hours.
What to do if a reserved ordinance is about to expire
If you are unable to complete the ordinance, you can allow the ordinance to expire. The ordinances are shared with the temple, and other members can perform the ordinances.
You can also unreserve the ordinances and then reserve them a second time. If any special approvals were needed for the reservations, you must request permission again. If the reservation expired, the information in the FamilySearch notification can help you find the person and view the current ordinance status.
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