Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films were formed at 1000 degrees C by a modified electrochemical vapour-deposition (EVD) using NiO as an oxygen source, and ZrCl4 and YCl3 as metal sources. Growth rate kinetics were examined using NiO pellet substrates with different pore structures. The thickness of YSZ film increased linearly with deposition time, and the growth rate increased with increasing the porosity of the substrate. The pore size as well as the porosity affected the growth rate. In addition, the observed growth rate was much slower than the theoretical one assuming that the electrochemical transportation of the charged species across the growing film is rate limiting. From these results, it was concluded that the rate-determining step is not the bulk electrochemical transport, but the mass transport of dissociated oxygen in the substrate pore.