Application of concentrated HCl as a solvent and triammonium citrate (TAC) as a chemical modifier is advantageous for the determination of Er and Nd dopants in bismuth tellurite (Bi 2 TeO 5 ) single crystals by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The use of mini-flow of the internal gas, instead of gas stop, results in better precision at a price of a relatively small decrease in sensitivity. By evaluating integrated absorbance (A int ) signals for the GFAAS measurements (in the presence of matrix and TAC additive), characteristic mass values of 42 and 320 pg, and a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.9 and 131 μg l −1 are found for Er and Nd, respectively. These LOD data correspond to 0.78 μg g −1 Er and 21 μg g −1 Nd in the solid samples. The calibration curves are linear up to 0.33 and 2.9 mg l −1 concentrations in the solutions of Er and Nd, respectively. The ratio of the A int signals of Er and Nd under gas stop and mini-flow were found near constant (1.34) with and without the matrix plus TAC. According to the vaporisation studies by graphite furnace electrothermal vaporisation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (GF-ETV-ICP-AES), the vaporisation of Bi and Te components of the solid Bi 2 TeO 5 can be completed at 1200°C in a relatively short time, ensuring a preconcentration for the Er and Nd dopants, which do not vaporise below 2200°C in an argon atmosphere. On the other hand, fast vaporisation can be performed for the analytes at 2200°C with the use of CCl 4 vapour (∼0.5 v/v%) in the internal furnace gas (Ar). It was estimated for the Er analyte that by applying 10 mg of solid sample in the GF-ETV device (dispensed into a graphite sample boat) and using a two-step heating procedure (prevaporisation of the matrix in argon and vaporisation of the analyte in a chlorinating atmosphere), the lower limit of the quantitative determination with the ICP-AES method would be approximately one order of magnitude better than attainable with the GFAAS method based on dissolution.