John Starling
1 min
Q: Can I send my zakat al-mal to another country?
A: It is preferred to distrubute your zakat al-mal in your local area. It is permissible to distribute it WITHIN the raduis permitted to shorten prayer i.e. 85 US Miles/138 KM. It is impermissible to distribute it further than that. Though it will fulfill the obligation, it is sinful unless there is a true need to do so.
Such a need includes the absence of zakat recipients in your region or out of fear for your wealth. If you cannot find a legitimate recipient in your local region, you should distribute it as close as possible.
Source: Sharh al-Muntaha