There are a lot of categorical statements all over VJ, often not backed up by any real proof. Instead people try to sound authorative and link to irrelevant sites, misinterpreting texts.
Not sure why someone feels the need to state that ALL consulates and embassies accept documents in English and the local language.
BUT
On the K1 checklist we just received from the Embassy in Stockholm, it says verbatim:
"Translations: All documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation."
That's it.
Conversely, folks in Denmark tell us and the US Embassy in Copenhagen website confirms that there BOTH English and Danish are accepted.
Sure, we can argue whether this is good or bad or odd (Danish and Swedish is similar, handles the same rough nr of cases etc) but let's try to stay accurate so as not to mislead anyone.
USCIS (DHS) has one policy, NVC (DOS) another (especially since they now process more documents and schedule interviews for appointment posts) and each consulate/embassy (DOS) countless others.
Later on, for AOS etc, USCIS WILL require translations, so those not having to do so now need to keep in mind that it will be necessary later.
So, while the norm for embassies/consulates seems to be English AND the local language, this is not universal. Any basic trawl on a few US Embassy websites will tell you this. Furthermore, the US Embassy in Stockholm website does not even address this issue for K1s like us. For DCF it says that "authorized translations" are necessary, as opposed to "certified" in our K1 case.
To conclude, the devil lurks in the details. Let's help people find it.
