A new single visa will be in place for travellers to Australia and New Zealand for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The event which is expected to involve14 countries playing a total of 50 matches which will just about be equally split between Australia and New Zealand will be held between 26 January and 5 April 2015.

Tourism bodies claim that have had to lobby for this arrangement and finally managed to get a deal where only eligible Australian visa holders are allowed automatic entry into New Zealand for a 3 month period.New Zealand visa holders do not have the same right. They will have to apply for an Australian visa using the usual channels.

Some key points of caution for current Australian visa holders is that if you hold an Australian visa that is not included in this arrangement you will need to apply separately for a New Zealand visa. See: New Zealand's entry requirements.

Another important consideration is that your Australian visa must, allow re-entry to Australia after your trip to New Zealand. Thus single-entry and some bridging visa holders must get relevant re-entry approval prior to departure from or re-entry into Australia.

Australian visa holders also should take note that while New Zealand will grant a visa for up to 3-months for the event, the visa will not have similar rights as their current Australian visa.

To see if the visa you hold, or are applying for, is included in this arrangement see: Eligible Visas for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. To determine whether the temporary visa you hold is part of the trans-Tasman arrangement, see: Eligible Visas for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

International visitors will still be required to meet the respective health, security and character requirements of both countries and each country will retain the right to refuse entry if a visitor does not meet these requirements.

For further reading:

http://www.immi.gov.au/event/wcc/Pages/cricketworldcup-frequently-asked-questions.aspx