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Virtual Share Option Plan

See https://ledgy.com/guides/vsop for details on what a VSOP is.

My question is not specifically about VSOP but about the signature requirements for confirming participation. I have a digital signature supplied by the Austrian state and it is valid for digitally signing documents. It's managed by the A-trust Handy Signatur app.

However my employer insists on a paper signed copy of the contract. The HR department claims that digital signatures are not valid.

Can the company insist on wet signature even though it is less secure?

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    Your question is tagged Germany, and in the question itself you mention an Austrian state supplied digital signature. Is it correct to assume you are an Austrian citizen and that you work for a German company? The fact that two countries are involved here could be relevant and complicate things.
    – Bart van Ingen Schenau
    Commented Jun 4 at 12:56
  • Yes. I work remote for a German company but I reside in Austria. The cert is supplied by the Austrian state and is valid EU wide>
    – bradgonesurfing
    Commented Jun 4 at 13:17

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Can the company insist on wet signature even though it is less secure?

In Germany every party to a contract is free to choose the content and form of any contract they wish to commit themselves. This freedom arises out of Article 2 Paragraph 2 of the German Constitution.

For option plans there is no legally required form, so any of such contracts can be set up in any way both parties agree. As your employer tells you that they are not willing to agree to a qualified digital signature there won’t be any way to force them to agree.

Try to convince them, but also try to accommodate their workflow.

the first version of this answer erroneously assumed that the matter is a work contract, but the basic concept is the same: you can’t legally force another party to agree to a specific contract content or form if there is no law which stipulates that specificities of an contract

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