LocationIQ API

Name: LocationIQ API API
Brand: LocationIQ API
Availability: InStock

✓ Official Vendor SpecMaps GeolocationGeocodingapiKey9 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Geocode addresses, reverse geocode coordinates, autocomplete partial queries, find nearby POIs, look up timezones, and calculate multi-profile routes between waypoints.

Quickstart

Get started with LocationIQ API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"geocode an address to coordinates"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with LocationIQ API API.

Geocode free-form or structured addresses into coordinates with match quality scoring and GeoJSON polygon output

Reverse geocode latitude/longitude pairs into fully broken-down address components with city normalization

Provide real-time autocomplete suggestions for partial address queries with up to 20 results

Search for nearby points of interest by tag type (restaurant, hospital, cafe) within a configurable radius

GET STARTED

Start building with LocationIQ API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Geocode addresses to coordinates, reverse geocode coordinates to addresses, autocomplete partial queries, search for nearby POIs, look up timezone data for any location, and calculate driving/cycling/walking routes between waypoints. Built on OpenStreetMap data with additional proprietary datasets, the API provides 9 endpoints across regional servers (US and EU) and an anycast autocomplete server, supporting structured and free-form address queries, GeoJSON polygon output, and multi-profile routing with turn-by-turn instructions.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use LocationIQ API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ AI Agent Address Resolution

AI agents resolve user-provided addresses or partial location text into precise coordinates for downstream operations like ride-hailing, delivery dispatch, or local search. The autocomplete endpoint handles partial and misspelled input, while the forward geocoding endpoint converts complete addresses into lat/lng pairs with match quality indicators. Through Jentic, agents search for 'geocode an address' and receive the /search operation schema instantly.

Geocode '350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118' using the /search endpoint with format=json and addressdetails=1, then return the latitude, longitude, and parsed address components

Nearby POI Discovery for Mobile Apps

Mobile applications show users relevant places (cafes, pharmacies, ATMs) around their current location. The /nearby endpoint accepts coordinates, a tag filter (e.g., 'restaurant'), and a radius in meters, returning matching places with names, addresses, and distances. Results are sourced from OpenStreetMap and supplementary datasets, providing broad global coverage.

Search for nearby restaurants within 500m of coordinates 48.8566,2.3522 using the /nearby endpoint with tag=restaurant and format=json

Multi-Modal Route Calculation

Trip planning and logistics tools compute optimal routes between multiple waypoints for different transportation modes. The /directions endpoint supports driving, cycling, walking, and foot profiles, returning total distance, duration, route geometry (polyline, polyline6, or GeoJSON), and optional turn-by-turn step instructions with maneuver types.

Calculate driving directions from -73.9857,40.7484 to -73.9680,40.7614 using the /directions/driving endpoint with steps=true and geometries=geojson

Timezone Resolution for Global Applications

Applications serving global users need timezone information to display correct local times, schedule meetings, or trigger time-based automation. The /timezone endpoint accepts any coordinate pair and returns the IANA timezone name, UTC offset in seconds, DST status, and human-readable timezone abbreviation and full name.

Look up the timezone for coordinates lat=35.6762, lon=139.6503 using the /timezone endpoint and return the timezone name and UTC offset

Key Endpoints

9 endpoints — geocode addresses to coordinates, reverse geocode coordinates to addresses, autocomplete partial queries, search for nearby pois, look up timezone data for any location, and calculate driving/cycling/walking routes between waypoints.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/search

Forward geocode a free-form address query

GET

/search/structured

Geocode using separate address components

GET

/reverse

Reverse geocode coordinates to address

GET

/autocomplete

Autocomplete suggestions for partial queries

GET

/nearby

Search nearby POIs by tag and radius

GET

/timezone

Look up timezone for coordinates

GET

/directions/{profile}/{coordinates}

Calculate route with turn-by-turn steps

GET

/balance

Check remaining daily API credits

GET

/search

Forward geocode a free-form address query

GET

/search/structured

Geocode using separate address components

GET

/reverse

Reverse geocode coordinates to address

GET

/autocomplete

Autocomplete suggestions for partial queries

GET

/nearby

Search nearby POIs by tag and radius

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

LocationIQ API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents receive scoped access tokens — the raw `key` query parameter value never enters the agent's context window.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'geocode an address' or 'find nearby restaurants') and Jentic returns matching LocationIQ operations with their full input schemas, so the agent can call the correct endpoint without browsing LocationIQ docs.

Time to first call

Direct LocationIQ integration: 1-2 days for auth setup, endpoint discovery across 9 operations, and error handling. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

HERE Geocoding & Search API

Commercial-grade geocoding with dedicated autosuggest, browse, and place lookup endpoints

Choose HERE when you need commercial SLA guarantees, dedicated place detail lookups by ID, or category-based browsing that LocationIQ does not offer.

Alternative

TomTom Search API

Fuzzy search with POI data, geometry filtering, and along-route discovery

Choose TomTom when you need fuzzy typo-tolerant search, geometry-based filtering (custom polygons), or searching for POIs along a driving route.

Complementary

Geocodio

US/Canada-focused geocoding with census, congressional district, and timezone appends

Choose Geocodio when the use case is US/Canada-specific and you need data appends like congressional districts, census tracts, or school districts alongside coordinates.

Alternative

positionstack API

Simple forward/reverse geocoding with batch support and data modules

Choose positionstack when you need a simpler API with batch geocoding and optional timezone/sun/country data modules, and do not need routing or POI search.

FAQs

Specific to using LocationIQ API API through Jentic.

What authentication does the LocationIQ API use?

The LocationIQ API authenticates requests using an API key (access token) passed as the `key` query parameter. Through Jentic, your LocationIQ token is stored encrypted in the MAXsystem vault — agents receive scoped access without the raw key entering their context.

Can I geocode structured address components with LocationIQ?

Yes. The /search/structured endpoint accepts separate `street`, `city`, `county`, `state`, `country`, and `postalcode` parameters. This is useful when your data is already parsed into components and you want higher precision than free-form search. A separate /search/postalcode endpoint handles postal-code-only lookups.

What are the rate limits for the LocationIQ API?

LocationIQ returns HTTP 429 when rate limits are exceeded. Free tier allows 5,000 requests per day at 2 requests per second. Paid plans range from 10,000 to unlimited daily requests with up to 30+ requests per second depending on tier.

How do I calculate driving directions through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with `pip install jentic` and search for 'calculate driving route between waypoints'. Jentic returns the /directions/{profile}/{coordinates} operation schema. Set profile to 'driving', pass semicolon-separated lon,lat coordinates, set steps=true for turn-by-turn instructions, and execute through Jentic.

Does LocationIQ support GeoJSON polygon output for geocoding results?

Yes. Set the `polygon_geojson=1` parameter on the /search or /reverse endpoints to receive boundary polygons in GeoJSON format. Other geometry formats are available via polygon_kml, polygon_svg, and polygon_text parameters. Use polygon_threshold to simplify complex geometries.

What data source does LocationIQ use?

LocationIQ is built on OpenStreetMap data supplemented with proprietary datasets. You can restrict results to OSM-only by setting the `source=nom` parameter. The API provides global coverage with regional servers in the US and EU for lower latency.