403 PERMISSION_DENIED: "Your project has been denied access" on Gemini API Free Tier project

Gemini API
1

Hello,

I am trying to use the Gemini API Free Tier with a newly created Google AI Studio project.

Project:
record-gemini-free

In Google AI Studio, the project is shown as:

  • Status: Restricted
  • API key: Unavailable
  • Message: “API access for this project is restricted. To continue, set up billing information.”

When I call the Gemini API with the API key created for this project, I receive:

403 PERMISSION_DENIED
“Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.”

The Google Cloud project itself appears active and healthy in Google Cloud Console.

I am not trying to upgrade to the Paid Tier. I would like to use the normal Gemini API Free Tier.

Could someone from the Gemini API team please review why this project has been restricted and advise whether the restriction can be removed?

For privacy, I have not included my API key or account email here. I can provide additional project information privately if required.

Thank you.

2

Hello @san_okaji ,
Unfortunately, your project is subject to automated account verification controls. To restore,
you should consider attaching an active billing account to the project.
If you still face error post that, let us know.

3

Please ensure that you’ve completed Phone Verification and turned on 2-Step Verification (2SV) on the Google Account associated with your project. Once verified, retry your request or create a new API key in Google AI Studio.

If verifying your account does not restore access (or if using a model requiring a paid tier), then as Mahesh suggested, you might want to add prepayment credits directly in Google AI Studio or attaching a Google Cloud Billing account in the Google Cloud Console.