Is it permissible to send my zakat to another country?

Yes, transferring zakat abroad is permitted, though scholars differ on how strongly local distribution should be preferred. The classical default, held in various forms by the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, is that zakat should generally be distributed among the poor of the community where it was collected, since local needs are visible and pressing; some scholars even considered transferring it elsewhere without a valid reason to be disliked. The Shafi'i school and several contemporary scholars take a more flexible view, holding that zakat may be sent wherever the need is greatest, especially in today's connected world. In practice, most scholars agree transfer is clearly permissible, and even preferable, in specific situations: supporting eligible relatives living abroad, responding to famine, war, or natural disasters overseas, aiding refugees, or when local need simply doesn't absorb the available funds. Given how globalized charity has become, with reputable organizations able to verify need and deliver aid efficiently across borders, many scholars today treat cross-border zakat as entirely normal, so long as you're reasonably confident it reaches genuinely eligible recipients.

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