Ion-irradiation of solid surfaces is considered as one of the promising and powerful techniques for material nanostructuring. Recently, slow highly charged ions (HCI) have shown their potential in creating surface nanostructures in various solids. Here, we focus on the surface modifications of BaF2 and CaF2 single crystals by HCI. Despite the fact that both materials belong to alkaline-earth fluorides with the same crystalline structure, they exhibit different sensitivity for HCI-induced nanostructure. We discuss similarities and differences for the creation of HCI-induced nanohillocks and etch pits in both materials and their dependence on potential and kinetic energy deposition. Furthermore, we compare the results with modifications induced by swift heavy ions (SHI), in order to reach a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the creation of nanostructures in ionic fluoride single crystals. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.