It is intended to provide a processing liquid for resist substrates, which makes it possible to simultaneously and readily solve the problems of foreign matters sticking to pattern surface, pattern inversion and pattern roughness, and a pattern formation method using the same. This processing liquid for resist substrates contains a primary amine or an ammonia alkylene oxide adduct having a hydrocarbon group carrying from 11 to 30 carbon atoms together with water. The pattern formation method as described above comprises processing a developed pattern with the use of the processing liquid for resist substrates.