Please do not give any information to guests about which localities are sensitive. If a guest has questions about the policies or needs further explanation, please refer them to Data Quality.
Sensitive Country Questions
If a guest asks any questions about sensitive countries other than the “Account Not Authorized” message, please escalate using the current procedures for your area. Designate the issue for Data Quality.
Church leaders have identified various countries as more sensitive to having temple work performed for their citizens. In the past, approval from Church headquarters was required to perform temple ordinances for individuals from these sensitive places. Area Presidencies of sensitive countries hope to improve the experience for many users.
Reservations for Sensitive Country Individuals
Members can now reserve and print a temple card for a confidential relative, perform the ordinances, and see the completed ordinances in Family Tree. However, members cannot share ordinance reservations for confidential relatives with the temple, friends, or family. The 110-year policy does not apply to members who request ordinances for confidential people. The ordinance reservations do not expire. There is an option to print or not print contact information on temple cards.
Incorrect Completed Ordinances
Earlier methods and changes in the system can hide complete temple work from patrons. The ordinance work is likely just on a different ID number. Additional tools and processes are being developed to help with the increase in cases around this issue due to this revision. Over time, this issue will decrease.
Confidential Person Issues
If you receive questions about why one person is confidential and another is not, or about sharing confidential persons between users, please escalate using current area procedures and designate the issue for Data Quality.
Confidential Persons Made Public
Relatives in specific countries will be reviewed again after a predefined number of years and may potentially have their confidential status removed.
Public Access to Family Tree
All members can automatically access Family Tree without any additional processes. Public users in some countries can also access Family Tree without any additional processes, although there are still some countries where public access is not allowed.
Guidelines for Submissions
For questions about sensitive countries or names submitted from a sensitive country, use the following guidelines.
Share
- The Church is sensitive to the specific place asked about because of the political or religious beliefs of the people of the country.
- Ordinances from the place the patron is asking about are restricted from general public view, but they are still preserved, and the work is valid.
- Members who completed ordinances can view them. Members can view ordinances when they know who completed them.
Do Not Share
- Information about other sensitive places or references to specific religions or political entities.
- Internal processes, internal systems, or additional information about other names or places.
- Ordinance information if the patron is not directly related or is related but not a member of the Church.
- The contributor's name or address.
- Additional information not specifically requested.
If you cannot or should not answer a question, please escalate using the current procedures for your area. Do not promise any results to the guest. Indicate they can expect to hear back after the details are reviewed by another group.
Sensitive Localities
Do not share any information about which localities are sensitive.
Any tree persons in the countries below (and a few others) should be marked with an admin label such as Sensitive Issues—Country or Sensitive Issues—Hybrid.
Sensitive Countries List
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Arabia
- Djibouti
- Israel
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Palestine, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, West Bank, Gaza Strip
- Persia
- Saudi Arabia
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
All members should have access in these countries. General public users see the “Account Not Authorized” message. Data in Family Tree will remain as “confidential persons.”
Hybrid Countries List
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kurdistan
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Sudan (including both North and South Sudan)
- Syria
- Tunisia
- Turkey, Ottoman Republic, Ottoman Empire, Galatia
- United Arab Emirates
All users, including public users and members, should be able access Family Tree in a hybrid country if there are no other account issues, such as problem patron or other account restriction.
Changes to Confidential Status
Hybrid countries are also the countries where the data may be re-evaluated to potentially become public. In some instances, confidential people become public and visible to all tree users. The change occurs 150 years after the confidential person’s birth. If the record lacks a birth date, the change is made 150 years after the person’s death. Some confidential people remain confidential indefinitely.
Team Lead Instructions
Authoring Note: Please link to this article if the sensitive countries list is needed in another article, so this information is maintained in one article.