Who You Can Submit for Temple Ordinances
Temple ordinances are sacred and should be treated with respect. When submitting names for proxy temple ordinances, members should submit only the names of persons to whom they are related (see General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
28.1.1.1
).
Your Responsibilities
You are responsible to submit names of the individuals below:
- Immediate family members (your spouse, children, siblings, and parents).
- Direct-line ancestors (your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on, and their immediate families).
Additional Names You Can Submit
You can also submit the names of the individuals below.
- Biological, adoptive, step, and foster family lines connected to your family and your undivorced spouse’s family.
- For descendants of your ancestors and descendants of your undivorced spouse’s ancestors, follow these guidelines:
- You may submit descendants’ spouses.
- Descendants’ spouses may be sealed to their parents. Do not submit parents of descendants’ spouses for any other ordinances. It is acceptable to perform the parent-to-child sealing without also performing the other ordinances for the parents.
- Do not submit grandparents and other ancestors of descendants’ spouses.
- Your own descendants.
The relationship viewer and ordinance status information in Family Tree can help you determine if you are related.
Individuals Born in the Last 110 Years
To submit ordinances for individuals born within the last 110 years, you must either be a close living relative or obtain permission from one. Family Tree automatically allows close living relatives to submit these names. It provides an online permission form that you can fill out if you are related but not a close living relative.
Close living relatives include:
- A living, undivorced spouse
- An adult child
- A parent
- A brother or sister
Please prioritize
the wishes of a living spouse when seeking permission. Permission granted by a deceased person before death does not qualify; it must come from a close living relative.
If the deceased person has no close living relatives, please be prepared to provide evidence that all close living relatives are deceased. If you simply do not know whether the individual has living close relatives or cannot contact them, please do not request permission to do the ordinances. Instead, conduct further research to find the closest living relative or confirm that all close relatives are deceased.
Other Situations That Require Permission
Permission from the Family History Department is also required to submit ordinances under rare circumstances. Please contact
FamilySearch Support
for help with the following situations:
- FamilySearch lists no relationship between you and a person. Please be prepared to validate the relationship.
- You are a descendant of victims of the Jewish Holocaust and want to submit their names for temple work. Please be prepared to submit all appropriate permissions from living relatives.
Names That Should Not Be Submitted
Unless you are related, do not submit names of celebrities or famous people or names gathered from unapproved extraction projects.
Related policies
How do I request temple ordinances when Family Tree says I am not related?
What is the 110-year policy, and why was it initiated?
How do I request proxy temple ordinances for a friend?
Can I do temple work for victims of the Jewish Holocaust?
Can I request ordinances for people who lived before A.D. 200?
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