Before arguing about justification, look at the form: it is the fastest win available. German law requires paper with a handwritten signature and expressly excludes electronic form. But even an obvious defect does not suspend the three-week deadline.
Form of notice: paper with a wet signature, or nothing
In Germany a dismissal is valid only on paper with a handwritten signature. Email, a messenger message and a scan have no effect at all.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
My dismissal arrived as a scan by email. It was void, but I filed within the deadline anyway — just as well, because the dispute ended up being about something else entirely.
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Lea recommends:
Photograph the envelope with the postmark and the letter on the day it arrives. Arguments about the date of receipt come up more often than you would expect.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is dismissal by email valid? ▾
No. The law requires written form and expressly excludes the electronic form. Notice delivered by email, messenger or as a scan is void from the outset — the employment relationship continues.
What if someone other than a director signed it? ▾
Whoever signs must be entitled to do so. Where a representative signs without presenting authority, a right to reject the notice can arise. That has to be exercised very quickly; the window is short.
Does a defect of form save me by itself? ▾
Not automatically. Even a formally void dismissal must be challenged within the three weeks, otherwise it becomes effective when the deadline passes. The defect makes your position strong but does not suspend the clock.
Must the letter state a reason? ▾
For ordinary notice, no — a widespread misconception. The employer must justify the dismissal in court, but is not obliged to set the reason out in the document itself.