Available Regions for Google AI Studio and Gemini API: Full Country List, Restrictions and Access Guide 2026
One of the most searched questions about Google’s generative AI infrastructure is whether Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are available in a specific country or region. The answer is not simple because availability differs between the consumer Gemini interface, the Gemini API for developers, and Google AI Studio, and these distinctions matter significantly depending on how you are planning to use the tools.
This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of supported regions, explains why some countries are restricted, and gives you the clearest possible picture of access options available in 2026.
The Difference Between Google AI Studio and the Gemini API
Before covering regional availability, it is important to understand that Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are related but separate products with distinct access requirements.
Google AI Studio is a web-based development environment at aistudio.google.com that allows developers and researchers to experiment with Gemini models, build prompts, tune models, and generate API keys. It is designed for technical users and serves as the primary interface for accessing Gemini’s full model capabilities before production deployment.
The Gemini API is the programmatic interface that developers use to integrate Gemini models into their own applications, tools, and workflows. API access is obtained through Google AI Studio by generating an API key.
Gemini.google.com is the consumer-facing chat interface, which has a different regional rollout schedule than the developer tools.
For a deeper comparison of what each product does and which one is appropriate for your use case, our full breakdown of the key differences between Google AI Studio and the Gemini consumer product covers the functional distinctions in detail.
Regions Where Google AI Studio and the Gemini API Are Available
As of 2026, Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are broadly available across the following regions. Note that availability can change and Google updates its support documentation at ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/available-regions.
North America
- United States (full access to all models and tiers)
- Canada (full access)
- Mexico (available with some tier restrictions)
Europe
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Finland
- Norway
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Portugal
- Romania
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Croatia
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovenia
- Luxembourg
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Greece
- Ireland
Asia Pacific
- Japan
- South Korea
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Bangladesh
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Hong Kong
Latin America
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Chile
- Peru
- Ecuador
- Uruguay
- Paraguay
- Bolivia
Middle East and Africa
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Israel
- Kenya
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Egypt
Regions Where Google AI Studio and the Gemini API Are Restricted
Availability is blocked or limited in certain jurisdictions for a combination of legal, regulatory, and compliance reasons.
China: Google services including AI Studio and the Gemini API are not available in mainland China due to Google’s absence from the Chinese market following its 2010 withdrawal.
Russia: Following geopolitical developments in 2022, Google significantly reduced its commercial presence in Russia. Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are not reliably accessible from Russian IP addresses.
Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Syria: These countries are subject to US export controls and sanctions that restrict access to technology products including cloud-based AI services from American companies.
Hong Kong: Google AI Studio is available in Hong Kong but some advanced API features and data processing options are subject to regional compliance requirements that differ from mainland China policy.
Why Regional Restrictions Exist on the Gemini API
Regional restrictions on the Gemini API are driven by multiple factors:
US Export Control Regulations: The US Export Administration Regulations restrict the export of certain technologies to sanctioned countries. Because Gemini is developed and operated by a US-based company, these regulations apply to API access in the same way they apply to other technology exports.
Local Data Residency Laws: Some countries require that data generated by residents be processed and stored within the country’s borders. Where Google cannot currently guarantee this through its infrastructure, it may restrict access rather than risk regulatory non-compliance.
Content Regulation: Countries with strict laws governing AI-generated content or online speech may be phased into availability more slowly as Google works with local regulators to ensure compliance frameworks are in place.
Infrastructure Availability: Google’s data center footprint determines where it can offer low-latency, reliable API access. Regions where Google does not operate a significant infrastructure presence may have delayed rollout timelines.
How to Check Whether Your Region Is Currently Supported
The most reliable way to verify current regional support is to consult Google’s official documentation directly.
- Visit ai.google.dev and navigate to the Gemini API documentation
- Locate the section titled Available Regions or Supported Regions
- Find your country on the list
- If your country is listed, proceed to create a Google AI Studio account at aistudio.google.com
- If your country is not listed, note that Google updates this list periodically and checking back monthly is worthwhile
When you visit aistudio.google.com from an unsupported region, you will typically see a message indicating that the service is not available in your area. In some cases the page will load but API key generation will be blocked.
Regional Availability for Google One AI Premium and Gemini Advanced
The Gemini API for developers and the consumer Gemini Advanced subscription through Google One have different regional rollout schedules. Countries where the Gemini API is available for developers may not yet have access to the paid Gemini Advanced subscription tier.
As of 2026, Gemini Advanced through Google One is available in more than 150 countries, which is a significantly broader footprint than the developer API. The consumer product’s regional expansion outpaced the developer API rollout because the consumer product operates under different regulatory and infrastructure requirements.
If you have been exploring the Gemini ecosystem at the consumer level and are considering migrating to Claude, which is available in a wider range of countries, the direct account transfer tool from Gemini to Claude lets you bring your entire conversation history with you without any manual copy-paste work.
Accessing Google AI Studio From Partially Supported Regions
Some developers in regions where support is partial or in a phased rollout have reported success by:
Using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI: Google Cloud’s Vertex AI offers access to Gemini models through a different access pathway than AI Studio. Vertex AI has a broader regional footprint and is subject to different terms of service. If AI Studio is not available in your region but Google Cloud is, Vertex AI is the recommended alternative.
Using a supported Google Workspace account: In some cases, developers who have a Google Workspace account registered to an organization in a supported country can access AI Studio even if their physical location is in a partially supported region. This is subject to change as Google refines its geographic access enforcement.
Contacting Google Cloud Sales: Enterprises in regions where standard access is not available can sometimes negotiate API access through Google Cloud enterprise agreements that include additional compliance and data handling terms.
Gemini API Availability by Model and Tier
Even in supported regions, not all Gemini models are available in all markets. Newer model releases typically launch first in the United States before rolling out to other regions.
Gemini 2.5 Pro: Available in all primary supported regions but with usage limits that vary by region and account tier.
Gemini 2.5 Flash: The faster, more cost-efficient model is generally available across all supported regions simultaneously with or shortly after US launch.
Experimental and Preview Models: These are often US-only at initial launch and gradually become available in other regions as they move from experimental to stable status.
Gemini Embedding Models: Generally available across all regions where the Gemini API is supported.
How Regional Availability Affects Developers Building With the Gemini API
If you are building an application that will be used by people in multiple countries, the regional availability of the Gemini API has direct implications for your product strategy:
- If your users are in unsupported regions, API calls made from those regions may fail or be blocked
- You may need to implement geographic routing that directs API calls through a supported region’s infrastructure
- Rate limits and pricing tiers may differ by region even where API access is available
- Some enterprise features are only available in specific geographic regions
For development teams comparing Gemini’s regional footprint against Claude’s API availability, our guide on how Google AI Studio and Gemini differ in practical use cases includes a feature-by-feature comparison that covers geographic factors.
Moving Between AI Platforms When Regional Availability Is an Issue
Regional access restrictions are one of the most common reasons developers and power users consider switching from Gemini to Claude. Anthropic’s Claude API has its own regional availability considerations but in some cases offers access in markets where Gemini’s developer tools are not yet available.
If you have built up significant conversation context, project notes, or workflow threads in Gemini and want to continue that work in Claude without starting from scratch, gemini2claude.com transfers your conversation history directly from your Google account to your Claude account. All processing happens locally on your device, so no conversation data passes through any intermediary server.
For users who are also evaluating where ChatGPT fits into this landscape, our comparison of how Gemini and ChatGPT perform across different use cases and regions provides a side-by-side assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google AI Studio free in all supported regions?
Google AI Studio offers a free tier in all supported regions, but the free tier has rate limits. Paid tiers with higher rate limits are available in regions where Google Cloud billing is supported, which is a slightly different list from regions where basic API access is available.
Can I use a VPN to access the Gemini API from a restricted country?
Using a VPN to bypass geographic restrictions violates Google’s terms of service. If detected, it can result in suspension of your API key and account. Google is actively enforcing this with increasingly sophisticated detection methods.
Why is my country listed as supported but I cannot access AI Studio?
A supported listing does not guarantee your specific account is activated. Access can also be blocked at the institutional or account level, and some regions are listed as available but still in limited rollout where not all accounts have been activated.
When will the Gemini API be available in my country?
Google does not publish regional launch schedules. The best approach is to check ai.google.dev monthly and to sign up for Google’s developer newsletter which occasionally announces regional expansions.
Does regional availability affect Gemini’s response quality?
No. Once API access is granted, the model quality and output are the same regardless of the user’s geographic location.
Summary
Google AI Studio and the Gemini API are available in a broad but not universal set of regions in 2026, with full access in most of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and parts of Latin America and Africa. Restrictions apply in sanctioned countries, China, Russia, and some regions where compliance requirements have not yet been met.
For developers and users whose work is constrained by regional availability, the TransferLLM platform provides tooling to move conversation history and context between Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT so that a regional restriction on one platform does not mean starting from scratch on another.
