Background: Depression is a chronic condition of high prevalence in the world population and associated with functional disability and compromises the physical health of affected individuals. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), depression is associated with disability, there is not enough energy for positive feelings or associated with stagnation, when there is energy, but the flow of energy and emotions is blocked. Deficiency is also associated with excess in manic depression or irregularity in depression associated with anxiety. Auricular acupuncture, also known as auriculotherapy, it is part of a set of techniques based on TCM. For this, the auricular pavilion is related to 12 meridians, stimulating points in the ear and restoring the balance between blood and Qi (energy or vital force).Methods: This is a systematic review protocol for clinical trials prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the protocol Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA-P). Studies in which participants have any depressive disorder, diagnosed through standardized criteria such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and other diagnostic criteria used internationally will be included. There will be no restrictions on age, gender, ethnicity, education or economic status. Studies will be accepted that have as experimental intervention any type of auricular acupuncture (using needles, seeds, magnetic stones, lasers, ultrasound, bleeding or electrical treatment). The control interventions that will be considered for the studies will be conventional medical treatment for each depressive disorder, no treatment, placebo and other active therapies. Discussion: Auricular acupuncture can be a potential alternative complementary treatment, it is low cost and has minimal side effects presented until now. With this review we hope to complete gaps in the knowledge of auricular acupuncture, promoting an updated and comprehensive synthesis of research on this topic. Record of systematic review: In accordance with the guidelines, our systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Registry of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) on 10/27/2020 (registration number CRD42020211302).