Guides · Updated August 25, 2026

What is a DODA?

The DODA (Documento de Operación para Despacho Aduanero, Customs Clearance Operation Document) is the document presented at Mexican customs to clear goods through the border. It is a unified format with a QR code that bundles the information of one or more pedimentos and, when scanned at the entry or exit point, triggers the automated selection mechanism — the famous customs traffic light — which decides whether the cargo passes freely or goes to inspection.

What is the DODA for?

Customs clearance in Mexico used to involve presenting printed pedimentos and other paper documents. With the technological modernization of customs (the PITA program, Proyecto de Integración Tecnológica Aduanera), the SAT — Mexico's tax and customs authority — unified everything into a single QR document: the DODA. In lanes equipped with readers and cameras, scanning the code is enough for the system to identify the full operation and trigger the traffic light.

In practice, the DODA does three things:

• Presents the goods before customs electronically, without paperwork for each pedimento.
• Triggers the automated selection mechanism: the system decides on the spot whether the cargo is cleared (green) or goes to customs inspection (red).
• Enables tracking: with the DODA's integration number you can check the clearance status on the SAT portal.

Who generates the DODA?

Usually the customs broker (agente aduanal) or the company's legal representative, once the pedimento is paid and validated. It is generated through Mexico's single window for foreign trade (VUCEM) or from the broker's customs management system. The carrier receives the document (the PDF receipt with the QR) and presents it upon arriving at customs.

What is the integration number?

Every DODA has a unique identifier called the integration number (número de integración). It appears on the PDF receipt and is the key to checking the operation's status on the SAT portal: whether it has been scanned, whether it got green or red, and whether the inspection has finished. If you track your operations with DODA.mx, this number is all you need to register — or upload the receipt PDF and we extract it automatically.

Are the DODA and the pedimento the same thing?

No. The pedimento is the customs declaration of the import or export: what the goods are, their value, the duties paid. The DODA is the operational document used to physically present those goods at customs. One DODA can cover one or several pedimentos (or consolidated notices), and the same pedimento can be cleared across several operations.

What happens after presenting the DODA?

When the QR is scanned at the lane or module, the automated selection mechanism returns its result:

• Cleared (green): the cargo continues on its way with no inspection.
• Customs inspection (red): the authority physically and documentarily reviews the goods. Once finished, the status changes to inspection finished and the cargo is released (if everything is in order).

We have a full guide to every status of the customs traffic light and another on how to check your DODA status with the SAT step by step.