Updates to Temple Ordinance Reservations

Great blessings come from providing temple ordinances for our kindred dead. What follows are important updates to some of the tools, resources, and processes being developed to hasten this important, eternal work.

We hope these adjustments will make it simpler and easier for Church members to participate in family history and temple service, as well as share the joy that comes from serving ancestors. Watch this post for continued updates to temple ordinance reservations. 

Coming Soon: Request Shared Names Using the Family Tree or Ordinances Ready

In addition to the Ordinances Ready feature, ordinance reservations that have been shared with the temple will soon be available for request through the FamilySearch Family Tree.

When you share a family name with the temple, the shared name is made available to temple patrons who do not have their own family names and also to family members who wish to request the shared name.

Coming Soon: Simplified Temple Reservation Lists

The Temple menu on FamilySearch.org is being updated. With this update, you will be able to more easily see the ordinances you have reserved and those you have shared with others or with the temple.

With this update, when you go to FamilySearch.org and click Temple, a new menu will show on the left side of the screen.

In the menu, you will be able to click My Reservations to see a complete list of ordinance reservations that are under your name.

To see the reservations you have shared with friends, family members, or the temple, click Shared.

The filter option at the top of both reservation lists will allow you to filter the list in various ways. The filters allow you to easily see which reservations have been printed and which remain unprinted. You can also filter by the type of ordinance.

Coming Soon: Fewer Temple Icon Colors

The colors for temple icons in the Family Tree are being simplified to make it easier for people to identify family names and reserve ordinances in the Family Tree. Instead of 9 colors to show the status of a reservation, 4 colors will soon be used.

As shown in the example below, a grey icon will indicate that a reservation has been completed, while a blue icon will indicate that it is in progress. Green icons will show that a reservation can be requested and orange will indicate that an ordinance cannot be requested at this time.

Additional information about a reservation, such as whether it has been printed, shared with the temple, and so on, will be shown as text next to the icon.

Update: July 29, 2019—Ordinances Ready: A Convenient Way to Find Ordinance Reservations

Ordinances Ready is an automated service that searches FamilySearch.org and the temple reservation list to identify ancestors needing temple ordinances. For more information about Ordinances Ready, see this recent blog post.

This service is now available on FamilySearch.org as well as in the Family Tree mobile app. This availability means that you can find temple ordinances using your own computer, phone, or other devices when you are planning to go to the temple.

Update: July 29, 2019—Expiration of Ordinance Reservations

When temple reservations expire, they are automatically shared with the temple and made available to other relatives through Family Tree and Ordinances Ready. A few changes to how expiration dates work are explained below.

Expiration Dates 

• In general, ordinance reservations expire two years from the reservation date. 
• Ordinance reservations you share with someone expire two years from the original reservation date. 
• Ordinance reservations expire after 90 days if they were retrieved from the temple reservation list by Ordinances Ready. (Learn more about Ordinances Ready and how it searches for ordinances.)
• When you reserve multiple ordinances for the same ancestor, the ordinance reservation will be extended for one year if at least one ordinance is completed before the expiration date. 

Expiration Notifications 

Your reservation list now shows an expiration date. Patrons will be notified of expiring reservations through the FamilySearch messaging system and eventually through email notifications (if an email address has been added).

Update: July 29, 2019—Date Required to Reserve Temple Ordinances

Ordinance reservations require a date for at least one of the vital events of the person’s life (such as a birth, death, or marriage).

Family Tree uses these dates—exact or estimated—to determine whether 110 years have passed since the person’s birth. (Learn more about the 110-year rule and whom you can reserve ordinances for.)

Your reservation list may not print cards for ordinance reservations with a missing date. Click here for help with estimating dates and entering them into FamilySearch Family Tree.

Update: July 29, 2019—Easier Ways to Print Ordinance Reservation Cards

You can now use your phone in the temple office to print ordinance reservation cards using a QR code or ID number found in the Family Tree app.

Cell phones and electronic devices will be allowed in the temple office so temple workers can assist you. All the temple worker needs is the QR code or ID number for your reservation. For help finding the QR code on a phone, computer, or mobile device, follow the instructions in this article.

Please remember to turn off your cell phone after visiting the temple office and to use electronic devices respectfully in the temple.

Source: Family Search