Patients from outside the EU are to be charged 150% of the cost of NHS treatment under government plans to deter so-called health tourism.

The Department of Health said on Monday that the move could save the health service up to £500m a year and would prevent "abuse" of the system by visitors and migrants.

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the charges would be accompanied by greater scrutiny of recovery of fees by NHS trusts, who will face fines if they fail to identify and bill chargeable patients.

He said: "We have no problem with international visitors using the NHS as long as they pay for it – just as British families do through their taxes.

"These plans will help recoup up to £500m a year, making sure the NHS is better resourced and more sustainable at a time when doctors and nurses on the frontline are working very hard."

Hunt said £73m a year was currently recovered from international visitors but steps taken by the government would ensure the NHS received what it was entitled to by the middle of the next parliament.

This could generate up to £200m a year in the future, the Department of Health said.

Last month, Hunt announced that trusts in England would be offered a premium of 25% on top of the tariff they receive for providing treatment from this autumn if they reported that it was given to a citizen of one of the 27 other EU member states.

The NHS is able to reclaim the cost of treatment from other member states under longstanding reciprocal arrangements through the use of a European health insurance card (Ehic).

Hunt has also said that a health surcharge will be imposed on non-EU visitors who are in the UK for longer than six months, when they submit an application for leave to enter or remain in the country.

Plans to charge migrants have received a frosty reception from the medical profession. Dr Mark Porter, chair of the British Medical Association council, said it was not a doctor's duty to act as a border guard.

"Without more detail, there are question marks over whether or not these proposals will be workable and if the NHS has the infrastructure and resources necessary to administrate a cost-effective charging system," he said. "Plans to fine hospitals who fail to recoup costs would see them punished twice over to the detriment of other services.

"Above all, it is vitally important that these proposals don't have an impact on the care patients receive and that sick and vulnerable patients aren't deterred from seeking necessary treatment, which can have a knock-on effect on public health."

The Department of Health said a clearer registration process and IT system would help lessen the burden on busy staff.

Trials will start over the summer in some A&E departments to explore how details can be taken from patients with an Ehic when they register for care. Options for recovering the costs of primary care services are also being explored and eligibility for free NHS prescriptions, optical vouchers and subsidised NHS dental treatment will be tightened, the Department of Health said.

The new charges for non-EU patients will come into effect in spring next year.