Visible light active pristine monoclinic-BiVO4 (P/m-B) and GeO2/monoclinic-BiVO4 (G/m-B) nanocomposite photocatalyst with different weight percentages of GeO2 (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The synthesized photocatalytic materials morphology was similar to nanoplate and the light absorption range was in the visible region observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Ultraviolet-visible Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) analysis. The confirmation of visible light absorption of the photocatalytic materials was demonstrated by performing photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye aqueous solution under direct sunlight. Experimental results showed that the enhancement in the photocatalytic activity was more than two times in case of 3 wt.% GeO2 doped BiVO4 (3-G/m-B) as compared to pristine BiVO4 (P/m-B). The complete degradation of RhB dye using 3-G/m-B catalyst was confirmed using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic compound (TOC) analysis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.