Refers to a document or the execution of a document which is authenticated by a Notary, legal/judicial scrivener (Japanese 司法書士, shihō shoshi • Korean 법무사 – 法務士, beommusa), a Notary Public or a person empowered under the law of their jurisdiction to authenticate.
The term sometimes confusing because a Notary is many jurisdictions is a class of lawyer specialising in property, wills & estates and certain areas of commercial law and contracts, while in the US it’s typically someone in a bank or law office who has a local state license as a notary-public and limited training, while in say Ireland a lot of lawyers, especially solicitors can also act as notaries, while in other jurisdictions it is unusual for a lawyer to also be a notary. One should therefore be careful in who may act as a notary and where.