Magnesium metal and its alloys are known to have excellent physical and mechanical properties suitable for a number of industrial and technological applications. Yet due to their highly reactive nature, magnesium alloys have continued to see little industrial use. This paper demonstrates an extension of the recently introduced, novel method established to deposit electroless Cu films on Mg alloys to the next step of direct electroless deposition of nickel phosphorous [Ni-P] and nickel-zinc-phosphorous [Ni-Zn-P] alloy films on polished AZ91D magnesium alloys. These reasonably adhered, quick depositing, continuous, low phosphorous, electroless coatings contain phosphorous, atomically, at, or below, 10% due to the use of an alkaline deposition bath.Magnesium [Mg] is an abundant, light, easily machined, and recyclable metal that possesses relative properties (property/density) equal to or better than most competitive materials. Mg alloys possess a specific strength (strength to weight ratio) between 2/3 and 3/4 that of aluminum, and a relative yield strength twice that of steel, ideal for many industrial applications. Despite many potential applications for Mg alloys in the automotive and aerospace industries, and well known beneficial properties including high thermal conductivity, high dimensional stability, and good electromagnetic shielding characteristics, 1 its industrial use is relatively scarce due to high reactivity, poor wear properties, and susceptibility to galvanic corrosion. 2,3 Galvanic coupling, and corrosion, is the primary concern regarding the industrial implementation of Mg and its alloys. Mg alloys readily form galvanic cells when brought into contact with a dissimilar metal in the presence of an electrolyte. It has been found that the ideal guard against the formation of galvanic cells is the isolation of the Mg alloy from the electrolyte and dissimilar metal by a metallic cladding; preferably one that forms an inter-metallic bond with the Mg-based substrate and retains the bulk conductivity of the Mg alloy.In addition to the formation of galvanic cells, the high activity of Mg alloys allows for the rapid formation of an oxide/hydroxide surface layer when exposed to air or water, often necessitating treatments prior to deposition, 4 commonly known as pre-treatment regiments, to ensure coating adhesion and/or uniformity. Common treatments include surface conversions 5,6 and organic coatings, 7,8 most of which result in the formation of an insulating layer between the Mg alloy substrate and the cladding. Additionally, a large variety of pre-treatment procedures are complex 9-11 requiring many different techniques and must be conducted carefully for optimum results. Others, especially those for electroless nickel [Ni] deposition, require the use of dangerous hydrofluoric acid [HF] 12,13 and/or hexavalent chromium [Cr 6+ ], 14,15 while others, such as the application of an organosilicon heat-resisting varnish interlayer, 16,17 ignore the bulk conductivity of the substrate, electrically isolating it...