I went to Cambodia to get a tourist visa to extend my trip by 60 days. In Phnom Penh I used a tuk-tuk and driver that I knew to go to the Thai embassy in the morning. A tout met us at the front of the embassy and said he would get the visa in one day for $30. All I needed was my passport, one picture and $30. He told us to be back at 6:30 pm to pick it up. I wasn't comfortable leaving my passport, but I knew the driver and he said the tout was a friend of his and there was only one tout at the front and he was working out of a small guard shack and he said it would take four days if I did it by myself.

I actually let the driver pick it up since he was taking us around on a bar hop that night. He delivered my passport and it had the visa in it. I was surprised to see it was for 90 days but I was still a little skeptical. I flew back to Thailand and went thru immigration without any problems. I checked the passport and visa and it still had the 90 day date, great.

I changed my return flight at a cost of $250 (thru Delta's office 800#)

In rechecking my passport and visa I discovered a little stamp in front of the actual visa that only gave me 60 days! Now I'm stuck needing to extend my visa.

Here's how it works: A tourist visa is valid for 90 days, but only good for 60 days in country, that means once you have it, it must be used within 30 days.

I bet I'm not the only dummy to make this mistake and I'm an old hand. I've been traveling the Thailand for over 20 years, but I am new to using a tourist visa.

Good luck and read the little stamps.

"... it must be used within 30 days."

NOT correct - it must be used within 90 days.

It has to be 'utilized' within 90 days,

when 'utilized' you get 60 days.

If you come in on day 89 you will get 60 days!

jimbbc, there is no mistake. Read this about the difference between visa and permission to stay: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/content/visaxpiredate.html

Seeing as there is no such thing as a 90-day tourist visa it's not that easy a mistake to make. But, as you can extend your 60-day visa for 30 days very easily it's no big deal.

The tourist visa is a 90-day visa in the sense that it is valid for travel to Thailand within 90 days, from some consulates for three months, from its date of issue.

The maximum period a tourist can stay in Thailand after arriving with this visa is 90 days, ie permission to stay for 60 days granted upon entry into the country with the possibility of getting a 30-day extension of stay at any immigration office in Thailand, for a fee (1,900 Baht).