403 PERMISSION_DENIED "Your project has been denied access" on a brand-new project (2202503461..)

Gemini API
1

Hi team, requesting a manual review of my account.

Every Gemini API call returns:

{"error":{"code":403,"message":"Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.","status":"PERMISSION_DENIED"}}

What I already ruled out:

• Happens on TEXT-only requests as well as image requests, on both gemini-3.6-flash and gemini-2.5-flash.
• Happens with a brand-new API key created today in a project that had never used the Gemini API before: project number 2202503461.. / project id um-click-reviews.
• The Generative Language API shows “enabled” on that project.
• The key was generated in AI Studio and is correctly restricted to the Gemini API (not an unrestricted key).
• An older key from a different project on the same account returns the same error, so it does not look project-specific.
• AI Studio itself loads normally, with no pending Terms of Service prompt.
• Account located in Brazil (supported region).

Usage is a small business CRM for my home-automation company in Sao Paulo: it summarizes customer WhatsApp audio and reads photos and PDFs that customers send. Low volume, no scraping, no resale of the API.

Could you check what flagged the account and restore access? Happy to provide any other IDs.

Thanks.

2

Hello @apernambuco ,

Getting a 403 API error response and / or seeing “Unavailable” next to your project in AI audio indicates a flag has been placed on your account. To proceed:

  1. If you’re on the free tier with no billing attached, you should consider setting up billing. In most cases this is enough to clear any flag on your account. Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota. You should also see a banner in AI studio prompting you to set up billing.

  2. If you are on a paid tier, check for banners / error callouts in the AI Studio Projects page & the Billing page. Mostly these flags cause visible banners or other errors on these pages with concrete next steps / appeal links. You can also check the email address associated with your project for information on next steps.