Foreign transcripts are the hardest document type to verify at scale. Grading scales differ. Institution names transliterate inconsistently. In many jurisdictions there is no public registry to check against. Here is how we approach it.
1. Verify the institution exists
Start with the Ministry of Education registry for the issuing country when one exists. For countries without a public registry (much of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa), cross-reference against the UNESCO World Higher Education Database and the institution's own website.
2. Typography & template forensics
Legitimate institutions reuse the same template across cohorts. An AI verifier trained on historical transcripts from the same institution catches templates that don't match, even when the forgery looks convincing to a human reviewer.
3. Translation consistency checks
When a transcript is submitted with a translation, verify the original first, then check that the translation matches field-by-field. A mismatch between original and translation is one of the most common fraud signals we see in the field.
4. Escalation: registrar letter
For any SUSPECT verdict on a high-stakes application, request a sealed registrar letter sent directly from the institution to your office. This is the gold standard. Require it for the final shortlist.