Ruling on transferring zakat al-fitr from one country to another

The questioner : Is it permissible to transfer zakat al-fitr from one country to another? And if a man’s family is in one country and he is in another, does he pay it in his home country or in the country where he is?

The Shaykh : The scholars say that zakat al-fitr is paid in the country where one is present on the day of the festival. So, if you are not from Makkah and the day of the festival finds you in Makkah, you pay the zakat in Makkah. And if you are from Makkah and the day of the festival finds you in a place other than Makkah, you pay zakat al-fitr in the place where you are. As for your family, they pay zakat al-fitr in the place where they are, and they are not following you in location; rather, they are following you in location.

The presenter : My brother, your children are done. In an electrician.

The Shaykh : The scholars say that if a person is in a country and the day of the festival finds him in that country, he pays the zakat in that country, whether it is his original home or a country he is passing through during the days of the festival. But if the country where he is... yes... has no one who is entitled to the zakat, either because they are disbelievers or because they are wealthy, then he appoints someone to pay it on his behalf in a country where there are those entitled to it. Like the question one of you raised here about the people who are studying in disbeliever countries and do not find any recipients of charity; they appoint their family to pay it in their home country.