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I've been living off-the-grid for 15+ years on my sail boat traveling the globe. During my travels I've suffered theft of my documents. Will it be possible or problematic entering the US again? I've heard about 9/11 and other stuff that has made the country a bit guarded.

*This is a question by proxy. I only have contact with the real person by ham radio.

Frank Barcenas
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    The short answer is yes, not having documentation is going to be an inconvenience at best. We really need more information to be able to help. Being washed up naked on the shores of an African country with total amnesia is very different than having a police report from the theft of your documents and knowing your SSN, place and date of birth, and having living family. – StrongBad May 23 '16 at 18:36
  • He knows hi ssn number, date of birth, and hospital he was born in. He does not know if he has any living relatives left. – Frank Barcenas May 23 '16 at 18:42
  • @FrankBarcenas has he never held a passport? What documents does he show when he arrives in a new port? Did he report the theft of his documents, and does he have the documents from those reports? – phoog May 23 '16 at 20:23
  • He knows his parents names as they should appear on the birth certificate. The theft happened along the african coast and it was more dangerous to wait around and find an authority than to sail off. He may have had a passport at one point in his life, but he can't recall. He says he trades at free ports, along the coast of asia where documents aren't even asked for. He's to make the journey to the african coast and around the tip then to south america and up to Havana. Once there he says he will try to make contact with the US embassy in Havana and see how they treat him. – Frank Barcenas May 23 '16 at 20:34
  • That should be interesting. I would expect that Cuba would detain him when he tries to enter; he would then be able to request consular assistance from the US, though it might be complicated by his lack of documents. He will have to convince BOTH the Cuban and US authorities that he's a US citizen. It's probably safer to pull up in Miami or the US Virgin Islands. It would be safer still to go anywhere he can get ashore without a passport where there is a US consulate. – phoog May 23 '16 at 21:49
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    Be careful about appearing in Cuba. There are still restrictions on US citizens traveling there. – Patricia Shanahan May 24 '16 at 00:28
  • I will mention it to him. I did not remember how complicated things are in cuba right now. – Frank Barcenas May 24 '16 at 00:39
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    He really should have reported the theft at the first safe port with a US consulate. That way they could have cancelled his passport. – Patricia Shanahan May 24 '16 at 01:54
  • He says, most countries don't bother an old man in a boat. Detain him for what? Being a man in a boat and having no ID? That's a non-crime if I ver heard one. Even by post-9/11 US standards. – Frank Barcenas May 25 '16 at 01:29
  • @FrankBarcenas detain him for entering the country without documents, yes. Maybe people in boats are just sent away with a warning, as they might be if they approach a land border without documents, but whether he's detained or refused entry, he wouldn't be able to get to the US embassy. On the other hand, US authorities can't keep him off of US soil unless they want to challenge his claim of US citizenship. But who would want to bother an old man in a boat? – phoog May 29 '16 at 04:10

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It is likely going to be extremely difficult to regain your identity. It is not uncommon for the homeless to lose all their identification documents. The NLCHP outlines how 9/11 has made it more difficult for the homeless to obtain any form of identification. For example, both VA and FL require a certified copy of your birth certificate to get a state issued photo ID and a state issued photo ID to get a certified copy of your birth certificate. Assuming you are starting from outside the country, things will be even more difficult. Your best bet is to contact a lawyer who specializes in these sorts of things.

StrongBad
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