Hello,
I am writing to appeal the regional restriction that has been applied to multiple Gemini API keys associated with our development team, and to request guidance on the proper solution for our use case.
THE ISSUE:
Recently, all members of our team (approximately 20 users) experienced simultaneous “User location is not supported” errors when attempting to use the Gemini API through our application. All API keys across different Google accounts are now blocked, despite being located in Japan, which is a supported region.
OUR SITUATION:
We operate an application that integrates the Gemini API, used by approximately 20 individual team members within our shared office network environment. Each user has been accessing the application using their own Google account and API key.
REGARDING RECENT ACCOUNT CREATION AND BILLING:
Our team recently expanded significantly with the onboarding of new members (approximately 14 people) for a new development project. As the team administrator, I assisted in setting up their Google accounts and configured centralized billing under our company payment method for easier expense management and accounting purposes.
Importantly, all accounts were upgraded to the paid Tier 1 plan before use. We were not using the free tier—we were paying customers utilizing legitimate paid quotas.
This centralized billing approach is a common practice for small-to-medium development teams where individual reimbursement would be administratively burdensome. We were not aware that this configuration, combined with shared network access, might trigger abuse detection systems.
CLARIFICATION:
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Each API key belongs to a separate, legitimate team member
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Users are real individuals working on our development project, not automated systems or bots
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The shared IP address is due to our common office network infrastructure, not an attempt to circumvent usage limits
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All accounts were on paid Tier 1 plans—centralized billing was set up for administrative convenience, not to abuse free tier quotas
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We are located in Japan, which is a supported region for the Gemini API
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We had no intention of violating Google’s Terms of Service
OUR REQUEST:
We understand that our setup may have appeared suspicious to automated detection systems. We sincerely apologize for any unintended violation of your terms.
We would like to do this properly. If there is a recommended solution for teams of our size (approximately 20 developers), such as:
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A pay-as-you-go plan that supports multiple team members under a single organization
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Google Workspace integration for team API access
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Google Cloud / Vertex AI enterprise solutions
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Any consolidated billing option designed for development teams
We would greatly appreciate guidance on how to properly configure API access for our team. We are fully prepared to migrate to an enterprise solution or any other setup that legitimately supports our use case.
In the meantime, we kindly request that you review our accounts and consider lifting the regional restrictions so we can continue our development work while transitioning to the appropriate solution.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. We look forward to your guidance.