Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are being extensively investigated for its use as a biodegradable metallic implant material. Surface modification strategies are critical for Mg to be able to address application-specific criterion for applications such as cardiovascular stent, orthopaedic bone screws/plates and as a metallic scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are nano-sized coatings that present a simple and flexible method of carrying out surface modification of biomaterials to tailor its surface properties for specific end applications without altering the bulk properties of the material. In this manuscript, we present a brief overview of Mg as a biodegradable metallic implant material followed by surface modification of Mg using SAMs.