Gemini API returns 403: Your project has been denied access

Gemini API
1

Hello,

My project ID is mandrill-508107.
Project number: 1067223411592.

A simple “Hello” request to gemini-3.6-flash returns:
403: Your project has been denied access. Please contact support.

The error also occurs when calling the API directly outside my application. Creating a replacement API key did not resolve it.

Could you review the project’s access restriction and confirm whether it is eligible for free-tier usage?

Thank you.

2

Hello @Sri_Nathi ,

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, please try the below steps:

  2. Check Model Availability & Rate Limits:

    • Ensure that the model you are requesting is available on your current plan. For example, not all models are available on the free tier. You can verify model availability, quotas, and limits on the AI Studio Rate Limit dashboard.

  3. Ensure you have completed age verification by navigating to Google Account Age Verification and verifying date of birth in Google Account Personal Info.

  4. Complete Phone Verification and turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) on the Google Account associated with your project.

  5. Once age, phone and 2sv are configured, retry your request or create a new API key in Google AI Studio.

  6. 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 and/ or attaching a Google Cloud Billing account in the Google Cloud Console. Please note this will mean you lose your free tier quota.

3

Hello @Mahesh_Sutar,

I was having the same 403 error (which used to be a 429), and your message helped me resolve it.

Our account used for the Gemini API had two-factor authentication enabled, but no date of birth. Once we added one, the sent request started working again.

I had also opened a ticket a month ago (Error 429 URL_REJECTED-REJECTED_CLIENT_CAPABILITY) that I am going to close by quoting your answer.

Thank you