This report discusses the reductive removal of Ta oxide electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry (CV), in-situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). From CVs, it was shown that the longer a Ta electrode was maintained at potentials negative of -1.5 V, the more surface oxide that was reduced, as evidenced by increases in hydrogen evolution. Atomically-resolved EC-STM images were obtained after reduction at -1.8 V. The efficacy of Te at passivating Ta surfaces was investigated and found to work well, from EC-STM, CVs and XPS. S and Cu were also deposited onto Ta following an oxide reduction step. EC-STM images of the Ta surface in HTeO2+ and Na2S solutions suggested the formation of TaTe2 and TaS3, respectively, on the surface. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.