Abstract: A method is disclosed for applying phosphate coatings to surfaces of zinc, iron, aluminum, and the alloys thereof by wetting with a phosphatizing solution containing divalent cations and phosphate to form a liquid film, and subsequently drying on the liquid film wherein the metal surfaces are wetted with a phosphatizing solution, which is free from elements of sub-groups 5 and 6 of the Periodic Table, said phosphatizing solution containing:0.5 to 8 g/l nickel;2 to 20 g/l manganese;18 to 170 g/l of phosphate (calculated as P.sub.2 O.sub.5);and has an acid number of 0.4 to 0.8, such that after drying on, a phosphate layer having a weight per unit area of 0.3 to 3.0 g/m.sup.2, is obtained, where in the case of phosphatizing surfaces of iron, aluminum or the alloys thereof, the phosphatizing solution necessarily contains 0.5 to 5 g/l of zinc, and in the case of phosphatizing surfaces of zinc or zinc alloys the phosphatizing solution either contains zinc or is free from zinc.