# Gemini API project denied access — 403 PERMISSION\_DENIED **URL:** \ **Category:** Gemini API\ **Tags:** bug\ **Created:** [October 19, 2026, 5:55am UTC](https://discuss.ai.google.dev/t/gemini-api-project-denied-access-403-permission-denied/190703 "2026-10-19T05:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YORUWA\_WORLD](https://d1dlmcr85iqnpo.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/discuss.ai.google.dev/yoruwa_world/32/158952_2.png) [@YORUWA\_WORLD](https://discuss.ai.google.dev/u/YORUWA_WORLD)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:55am UTC](https://discuss.ai.google.dev/t/gemini-api-project-denied-access-403-permission-denied/190703/1 "2026-10-19T05:55:03Z")
![yoruwa-gemini-project-access-denied](https://d3qe71uytubmmx.cloudfront.net/original/3X/e/1/e14fffcf504c70ea3df17f6b2569c41fba781270.jpeg) Hello, My project `yoruwa-world` returns this error when calling the Gemini API: 403 PERMISSION\_DENIED “Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.” The Gemini API ([generativelanguage.googleapis.com](http://generativelanguage.googleapis.com)) is enabled. The API key is configured in my application’s server-side secrets. Firebase Authentication and Firestore work successfully. I checked Google Cloud Console but could not find a notice explaining the restriction or an appeal option. Could a Google team member help identify the reason and explain how to restore access? I want to use the free tier without enabling billing. Please let me know if you need additional diagnostic information through a private channel. ---
**Author:** ![Sai\_Deepika\_K](https://d1dlmcr85iqnpo.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/discuss.ai.google.dev/sai_deepika_k/32/34803_2.png) [@Sai\_Deepika\_K](https://discuss.ai.google.dev/u/Sai_Deepika_K)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://discuss.ai.google.dev/t/gemini-api-project-denied-access-403-permission-denied/190703/2 "2026-10-19T16:18:01Z")
Hello @YORUWA_WORLD , 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: If you’re on the free tier with no billing attached, please try the below steps: 1. Check Model Availability & Rate Limits: 2. Ensure you have completed age verification by navigating to [Google Account Age Verification](https://myaccount.google.com/age-verification) and verifying date of birth in [Google Account Personal Info](https://myaccount.google.com/personal-info). 3. Once age verification is configured, retry your request or create a new API key in[Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/). 4. If completing these steps still does not restore access (or if using a model requiring a paid tier), you might want to consider adding prepayment credits directly in[Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/) and/ or attaching a Google Cloud Billing account in the[Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing). Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota.