Nitrogen stabilises austenite in stainless steels and it can improve their corrosion and wear resistance as well as ductility and strength. Its effects on Fe-based alloys have been the topic of numerous research activities in the last 30 years and there is an increasing number of potential fields of application, especially for nitrogen-alloyed stainless steels. By generating a nitrogen rich case on conventional stainless steels, the positive effects of nitrogen can be used without the high production costs for high nitrogen steels. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of solution nitriding on the martensitic stainless steel X12CrNiMoV12-3. For this purpose, specimens were solution nitrided under various conditions. The resistance against pitting corrosion was characterized by measuring cyclic polarization curves. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking was investigated by slow strain rate testing, constant load tests and a newly developed drop test. Through solution nitriding, the material’s resistance against pitting corrosion increases whereas the resistance against stress corrosion cracking decreases.