Publisher
BMJ — publication fee waivers
BMJ is the only publisher checked that ties eligibility to where the research was carried out, not only to where the authors sit. It also states that where a funder has an open access mandate covering APCs, BMJ expects the charge to be paid.
Policy checked 1 August 2026
The policy in full
| Classification used | BMJ's own waiver list, built on low-income economies |
|---|---|
| Full waiver | Low-income countries — 100% |
| Partial discount | Case by case for countries not on the list |
| Which author counts | The strictest set of conditions found. All authors must be located in a listed country, area or territory. The research itself must have been carried out in a listed country. And the research must be unfunded, or no funding must be available to cover publication. |
| Hybrid journals | Not stated |
| How it is applied | Request required |
| When | Before or during initial submission. Applications made while an article is in peer review, or after acceptance, are not considered. |
| Scope | All BMJ journals |
Country list
This publisher states the rule but does not publish a single consolidated country list we could verify. We record the rule and link to the source rather than infer which countries it covers. If you know of a published list, tell us.