Under what circumstances must a Notary refuse to perform their duties?

A Notary must refuse to perform their duties if they cannot confirm the signer's identity because one of the foundational responsibilities of a Notary Public is to ensure that the person signing a document is who they claim to be. This safeguarding measure helps prevent fraud and protects the integrity of the notarization process. A Notary should verify the identity of the signer through acceptable forms of identification, such as a government-issued ID. If the Notary is unable to adequately identify the signer, they cannot fulfill their legal and ethical obligations, which ultimately maintains the reliability of notarial acts.

The other scenarios may not require a Notary to refuse services: being busy with another appointment does not pertain to their duty as a Notary; notarizing a document for a friend or family member is acceptable as long as the proper identification is presented; and while documents in a foreign language may complicate the process, they do not inherently prohibit a Notary from performing their duties as long as the Notary understands the document's content and can accurately certify the signing.