A notarized document indicates that the document and signers have been authenticated by a Notary. A Notary Public’s seal on a document indicates that it has been notarized.
The notary public is a commissioned representative of a state government and is charged with verifying your identity as the signer, ensuring you sign under your own free will, and witnessing the signing event. Their role is to prevent fraud and to ensure the appropriate people execute documents freely. Institutions rely upon notaries so they may have full faith in important documents.