People entering the United Arab Emirates will now have to pay a sum of Dh 500 (Rs 5,800) as visit visa fee, in line with a stricter visa regime being enforced by the gulf nation from August this year.

All visitors to the UAE will now also be required to have a health insurance and give a Dh 1,000 (Rs 10,000) deposit, the Federal Naturalisation and Residency Department said.

The UAE has unveiled a series of new visas, in a move that is being described as step to curtail the number of visit-visa seekers by making the process expensive.

Sixteen types of visit visas have been defined specifying the reason for visit, such as education, treatment or participation in an exhibition or conference.

The visit visas valid for 30 days will cost Dh 500 which is not renewable, Lieutenant General Mohammad Salem Al Khaili, director-general of the department said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

"If a person wishes to stay for an extended period, he or she must obtain a visa valid for 90 days at Dh 1,000. Multiple entry visa has also been introduced. The visa costing Dh 2,000 is valid for six months, but a person can stay in the country only for 14 days at a stretch," he said.

Student visit visas will cost Dh 1,000 and to obtain them a person must be registered in one of the universities in the country besides having health insurance. An additional refundable deposit of Dh 1000 is also to be paid.

Those wishing to undergo treatment can take a renewable visit visa for the purpose at Dh 1,000 for a 90-day period.

Complimentary visit visas could also be issued free of cost by government departments to delegates and dignitaries.

However, the ministry of interior is studying the possibility of exempting certain nationalities from paying the deposit, officials said.