Travellers who don't comply with the latest quarantine rules could face up to 10 years in jail.
UK government cabinet minister Matt Hancock revealed the "tough" new measures in the Commons on Tuesday (February 9).
England's health secretary explained that travellers who arrive in the UK from "red-list countries" will have to pay nearly £2,000 to quarantine.
Those returning to the UK will have to pay £1,750 per person for a 10-day quarantine stay at designated hotels near major travel hubs.
Fines of up to £10,000 and 10-year jail sentences have also been threatened for those breaking the new travel rules.
A £1,000 fine will be issued for any international arrival who fails to take a mandatory coronavirus test.
There will also be a £2,000 fine for failing to take a second test, and in this instance the quarantine period is automatically extended to 14 days.
And fines of between £5,000 and £10,000 for failing to quarantine in a designated hotel will also be issued.
Meanwhile, anyone who lies on their passenger locator form about having been in a country on the "red list" to avoid quarantine will face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
The new measures are in place to prevent emerging variants from entering the UK.
"In short, this means that any returning residents from these countries will have to quarantine in an assigned hotel room for 10 days from the time of arrival," he said in a statement.
"Before they travel, they'll have to book through an online platform and pay for a quarantine package costing £1,750 for an individual travelling alone which includes the hotel, transport and testing.
"This booking system will go live on Thursday (February 11) where we'll also publish the full, detailed guidance."
When passengers arrive into the UK, they will be escorted to the hotel. These will be closed to guests who aren't quarantining.
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The 10-day stay will be longer, Matt Hancock said, if they return a positive test during this period.
Sixteen hotels will be taking part for an initial 4,600 rooms with more following if they're needed.
On Monday, Wales Health Minister Vaughan Gething said that stronger border controls and quarantine arrangements were needed to stop variants entering the UK in the first place.
