Abstract: The unsteady laminar magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow over a continuously stretching surface is investigated. The unsteadiness in the flow and temperature fields is caused by the time-dependence of the stretching velocity and the surface temperature. The governing partial differential equations are first transformed to ordinary ones using similarity transformation, before being solved numerically. Effects of the unsteadiness parameter, magnetic parameter and Prandtl number on the flow and heat transfer characteristics are thoroughly examined.