The purpose of this study is to identify the main export barriers that micro, small, and medium firms that produce lingerie, from Nova Friburgo, meet or would meet, to export its products, and classify them in order of importance. The theoretical references were extracted from the existing literature on exporting problems, published in books, articles and specialized magazines. Data of 148 firms were collected by means of a structured questionnaire, and were further classified by size, according to SEBRAE parameters, and treated through factor analysis, to reduce the number of variables and make easier the results analysis. Five factors that represent the synthesis of the analysed variables were identified: (1) lack of professionals with knowledge of patterns and trends that support the development of products in accordance with market needs; (2) lack of government incentives/assistance and difficulties to find quality raw material; (3) operational, legal and bureaucratic difficulties; (4) market and cultural differences; (5) credit restrictions and technological gap. The results indicate that the main export barrier is the lack of professionals with knowledge of patterns and trends to support the development of products in accordance with market needs. This and the other barriers were analysed at the spotlight of the analysed literature.