Nano-crystalline of tin oxide doped with varying wt% of Dy3+ was prepared using chemical co-precipitation method and characterised by various advanced techniques such as BET-surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. Analytical results demonstrated that the nanocrystalline tin oxide is in tetragonal crystalline phase and doping with Dy3+ could inhibit the phase transformation, increases surface area and decreases the crystallite size. The experimental result on photoluminescence characteristics originating from Dy3+-doping in nanocrystalline SnO2 reveals the dependence of the luminescent intensity on dopant concentration. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.