When it comes to internationalizing Brazilian brands, the franchise mode is often used. According to the Brazilian Franchise Association (ABF), in 2016, the country was the sixth on the world ranking regarding the number of franchises. The internationalization of franchises is effective through the transfer of intangible assets, such as the franchisor s expertise, brand identification and a business system ready for the franchisee, which does not require a significant investment from the brand owner to implement an expansion. This is a partnership in which the partners do not have equal decision-power; therefore, this kind of system requires cooperation. The exchange of information is only achieved when there is a partnership, a network of relationship and an alignment of strategy and interests. Departing from this assumption, this study aimed to investigate the role of relationships between franchisors and franchisees in the internationalization process. To that end, the methodology of case studies was applied and three franchising firms that internationalized were investigated. Subsequently, the data was compared to the Uppsala models (1977 e 2009) using the franchise literature as an additional theoretical support. The study identified that such companies use their knowledge and their networks to expand their business and often to absorb information from local partners in order to improve market knowledge and adapt their products or services. This study helps to better understand how the relational aspect contributes to a successful internationalization.