The NCAA requires BOTH the kid's transcripts, and also must see the diploma, as every country has different requirements, and the NCAA must have all the facts.
Although it seems reasonable that the schools in France and Belgium would and should comply, I have heard that at times, they simply DON'T, and it is hard to get them to move faster than THEY want to move.
By the way....the NCAA has a LONG, LONG list of rules and requirements for kids who come from foreign countries, and the guidelines even vary depending on where the kid comes form.
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect...d170/2007_international_guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
(Belgium is on Pg. 20
France is on Pg. 50)
however, there are no special cautions and warnings about kids from these nations.
There are such "red flags" for kids from some certain nations due to fraud and improper actions within their educational systems.
Note the special warning about kids coming from Nigeria.
"Nigeria
NOTICE: A serious problem of falsification and alteration of records exists in Nigeria. Identification of such forgery is difficult and
can be discovered only by using great caution in records evaluation. To obtain verification of secondary education, all documents sent
directly to the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse will be forwarded to an outside verification office. Please note that it may take
several months to receive a reply from the verification office. If the problem involves university transcripts or records from teacher
training colleges, polytechnics, or other schools or institutions, a letter with photocopies of all documents in question should be sent
to the registrar of the institution concerned for verification. In addition, due to the unique nature of the educational system in Nigeria,
all annual grade reports/transcripts from year nine and up should be obtained and forwarded to the clearinghouse along with those
documents specifically listed below. These documents may be reviewed with the documents in Item No. 2 below in cases in which core
has not been completed."
and a simlar warning about Cameroon:
"Cameroon
NOTICE: A serious problem of falsification and alteration of records exists in Cameroon. Identification of such forgery is difficult and
can be discovered only by using great caution in records evaluation. In addition, due to the unique nature of the educational system in
Cameroon, all annual grade reports/transcripts from year nine and up should be obtained and forwarded to the NCAA Initial-Eligibility
Clearinghouse along with those documents specifically listed below. Documents must be sent directly from the issuing institutions
and/or bodies to the clearinghouse. These documents may be reviewed with the documents in Item No. 2 below in cases in which core
has not been completed."