What is the difference between "authenticated" and "notarized"? When would you need one but not the other?

Notarization is what a Notary Public does. Essentially, a Notary certifies that they witnessed a person sign a specific document. This is done to eliminate the possibility of forgery. A Notary can also certify that a copy of a document is a true and unaltered copy of the original document.

Naturally, if a Notary witnesses the signing of a document and notarizes it, the date of the signature and the date of the notarization must match. However, when notarizing a copy of an original document, the date of the original and the notarization do not usually match.

Every type of notarization requires different legal language, as defined by their state law. Notaries must be registered in their county and/or in their state, depending on the way the Notary system is setup in that state.

A Court Clerk's authorization take precedence over a Notary's. Therefore, a document stamped by a court clerk does not need to be notarized.

Authentication is the process where the governmental body that registered the Notary certifies that the Notary's signature, seal, and license are valid. The government official will look at the signature and seal of the Notary on your notarized documents, check their records to validate the signature and seal. They will then attach another paper to your document with their authorization seal official's signature. This authentication procedure certifies that the Notary's notarization is authentic.

If the Notary is registered at the state level, you must have the Secretary of State authenticate the documents. If the Notary is registered at the county level, you must have the county authenticate the documents, and then have the Secretary of State authenticate the county's authentications.