A Ce-V conversion coating was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and the ball cratering test were adopted to study the morphology, chemical composition, structure and thickness of the coating. The coating has duplex structure with network and its thickness is about 2 pin. The coating contains high contents of Ce and V, which exhibits amorphous structure. Potentiodynamic polarization shows the coating can increase the corrosion potential and reduce the corrosion current density of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Moreover, the electrochemical impedance spectra exhibit the coating significantly improves the corrosion resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Results indicate that the Ce-V conversion coating can provide effective protection to AZ31 magnesium alloy. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.