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In depth
Nunc pro tunc (Latin for 'now for then') is a legal phrase allowing a court to make a retroactive order — to correct a procedural defect or to reflect what was intended but not properly done at the time.
For CBD cases, nunc pro tunc orders may be used to: (1) correct errors in vital records (e.g., a misspelled name on a birth certificate), (2) late-register a vital event (e.g., a birth that was never registered with the civil registry), or (3) correct defects in naturalization records.
Nunc pro tunc orders are discretionary — the court decides whether to grant them based on the specific facts. They are distinct from ex post facto laws (which change the legal consequences of past actions) — nunc pro tunc merely corrects procedural errors.
Related terms
A discrepancy memo is a document that explains differences (in names, dates, or other details) across the vital records in a CBD dossier.
A vital record is a government-recorded document that certifies a vital event — birth, marriage, divorce, or death — and is the primary evidence in CBD cases.
Lex loci (Latin for 'law of the place') is the legal principle that the law of the place where an event occurred governs the legal consequences of that event.
Lex domicilii (Latin for 'law of the domicile') is the legal principle that the law of a person's domicile governs certain legal relationships, complementing lex loci in CBD cases.
Sui generis (Latin for 'of its own kind') is a legal term describing something unique, often applied to citizenship regimes that don't fit standard categories.
Ex post facto (Latin for 'from after the fact') describes a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions, relevant to CBD restitution laws.