One who has a ___________ interest in a document, no matter how small or nominal the interests, cannot act as a notary public relative to that document.

• A. beneficial
• B. legal
• C. substantial
• D. indirect

Answer: (A)

Notaries must be disinterested in the documents they notarize. If someone has any beneficial interest in a document, even a tiny one, that creates a conflict of interest and disqualifies the notary from acting on that document. Beneficial interest means having a personal stake that could gain you financially or otherwise from the document’s outcome. Because that potential for bias undermines impartiality, the notary cannot notarize in that situation. The other terms don’t capture the specific rule here—the rule hinges on having a beneficial interest, which is why this option is the correct one.