PadelDPV Licence & Padel Rankings in Germany Explained
By Theo Diether · Published 24/07/2026 · last updated 21/10/2026 · 7 min read
As soon as you want to go beyond your first club Americano, you quickly run into terms like "full licence", "GPS 250" or "ranking". Here is the short explanation, without the association jargon.
The short version
- There are two tournament series with separate rankings: the GPS run by the DPV and the GPT run by the DTB.
- For GPS tournaments and the league system you need a DPV licence (full licence €69 per year). GPS 50 and the GPT work without one.
- The number in the tournament name is the points the winners get, not a level rating.
First things first: there are two tournament series
Germany has two parallel tournament series run by two different associations, with separate rankings:
GPS – German Padel Series
Run by the Deutscher Padel Verband (DPV, the German Padel Association). It is the bigger of the two: according to the DPV, around 3,000 ranking tournaments take place every year.
GPT – CERTINA German Padel Tour
Run by the Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB, the German Tennis Federation), sponsored by CERTINA since 2025 (previously CUPRA).
Points from one series do not count towards the ranking of the other. A GPS 250 and a GPT 250 carry the same number, but they are not the same tournament, so look at the abbreviation in the tournament name, not just the number.
Do you need a licence at all?
It depends on the tournament:
Club tournaments & Americanos
Casual club tournaments, Americanos, Golden Court events: usually no licence needed. The organiser decides.
GPS tournaments & DPV league
Official GPS tournaments and the DPV league system (Padel Bundesliga, regional leagues): you need a playing licence from the Deutscher Padel Verband (DPV).
CERTINA German Padel Tour
Neither licence nor club membership. Your racket and sports kit are enough.
Exception: GPS 50
The new entry category GPS 50 is deliberately playable without a licence. It is meant for your very first taste of tournament play.
The cheapest way in
If you just want to get a feel for tournament atmosphere without committing to a €69 annual licence, a GPT 100 tournament or a GPS 50 is the cheapest way in.
Full licence or basic licence?
The DPV has two tiers (as of 2026, prices since 1 May 2026):
Full licence · €69 per year
Valid for all GPS tournaments and all Padel Bundesliga/league matches.
Basic licence · €15 per year
The cheaper entry option. It is limited in scope and only carries you through your first few tournaments. If you play regularly, you will end up with the full licence. It is not enough for league matches, where the full licence is compulsory.
Exactly how far the basic licence goes and who can buy it is set by the DPV in its fees and penalties catalogue. Give it a quick read before you buy, because the association adjusts the terms from season to season.
The licence is valid for exactly one year from the date of purchase, not until the end of the calendar year. If you buy it on 1 March, it runs until 28 February of the following year. You get it when you register for a tournament: depending on where your tournament is listed, this goes through RankedIn or through the DPV portal (more on that in a moment). You pay by credit card, as payment is handled by an external provider.
This is changing right now (as of August 2026)
The DPV is gradually moving licences, accounts and tournaments to its own DPV portal. There is no cut-off date. The GPS framework rules of 1 March 2026 still name RankedIn as the official tournament platform but announce the switch during the 2026/27 season, and an account on the DPV portal is already required for the Deutsche Padel Liga. In practice, the switch is well advanced for tournaments: in our tournament calendar, practically all upcoming GPS dates now link to the DPV portal, while the DTB's GPT runs entirely through RankedIn. What this means for you: keep both accounts, and check the tournament listing to see which platform your tournament uses before you register.
What do GPS 100, GPS 500 and GPS 1500 mean?
GPS stands for German Padel Series, the official tournament system through which national ranking points are awarded.
The number is not a level rating but the points: it tells you how many ranking points the winning team gets for that tournament. If you win a GPS 50, you get 50 points; if you win a GPS 1500, you get 1500. Because higher point values attract correspondingly stronger fields, the number is also a good indicator of the level of play to expect:
| Category | Points for the win | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| GPS 50 | 50 | Complete beginners, playable without a licence |
| GPS 100 | 100 | Beginners with no tennis background |
| GPS 250 | 250 | Players with some tournament experience or solid tennis technique |
| GPS 350 | 350 | Intermediate players with regular tournament practice |
| GPS 500–1000 | 500–1000 | Experienced players with a longer track record |
| GPS 1500 | 1500 | National/international elite ("Grand Slams"), with prize money |
Two caveats: the full points are only awarded if the field meets the minimum requirements. With very small fields, the points actually awarded can be reduced. And in the four smallest categories (GPS 50 to 350) there is a cap rule: the combined ranking points of both players on a team must not exceed a maximum, so that strong pairings don't play in beginner tournaments. From GPS 500 upwards this limit no longer applies and the field is open.
On our tournaments page you can filter upcoming tournaments directly by series, rating level and federal state.
And the GPT? The tennis federation's tour
The CERTINA German Padel Tour works on the same principle (the number in the tournament name is its value) but has fewer levels and its own ranking:
| Category | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| 100 & 250 | Beginners and amateurs |
| 500 & 1,000 | Performance-oriented players, with prize money |
| Finals (1,500) | Season finale of the tour |
Your best eight results within one year count. The tour keeps two separate rankings: results from categories 100 and 250 count towards the Amateur ranking, as long as you haven't played more than two tournaments in the pro category. The higher-level tournaments (500, 1,000 and Finals) feed into the Pro ranking.
The entry fee is set by each organiser, capped at €25 outdoors and €30 indoors per person, plus a €5 participation fee for the DTB. For the GPT, RankedIn remains the platform for now: you register there up to four weeks before the tournament. The DTB publishes the tour's tournament calendar and ranking standings on its own platform, mypadel.de, so for the GPT you need both addresses.
How does the ranking work?
After your first official GPS match you are automatically listed with your points. The DPV's German ranking (the DPV being a national federation recognised by the FIP) was previously kept on RankedIn. Don't confuse it with the DTB's GPT ranking, which is a separate listing on mypadel.de. Your ranking position mainly affects who you are seeded against in future tournaments and whether you are eligible for higher GPS categories. This area is also moving to the DPV portal right now; the binding source is always the platform your tournament was listed on. Association rules and points allocation can change from season to season anyway.
If you play both series, you will inevitably have two ranking positions side by side: one with the DPV for your GPS results and one in the tour's GPT ranking. That is not a mistake but a consequence of the separate competitions, so before you register it is worth checking which ranking a tournament counts towards.
Next step
On our tournaments page you can find upcoming tournaments filtered by federal state, series and rating level, plus the most important answers on league vs. open tournaments. If you still lack the kit for your first tournament: our Racket Finder recommends a suitable model in 7 questions. If you play tournaments regularly, you are more likely to find what you need among the rackets for intermediate players and in the pro segment, each with an up-to-date price comparison.