Some issuers will only ship to billing address but others are more flexible. You'll have to contact the issuer. You can always forward your mail to your friend's address.
When I had a debit card sent to a foreign address I was asked to fax in a letter stating I am who I say I am and what address I wanted it sent to. I asked if I could email a photo of a letter saying that and they allowed me to upload it to their secure messaging system.

It's about covering butts.