Need a passport? Piece of cake! Do it tonight!

The travelling Passport Canada passport clinic accepted 700 passport applications yesterday at the Essar Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.

Ten certified Passport Officers are in the Sault and they are staffing the clinic until 8 p.m. tonight and from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday as well, says Passport Canada spokesperson Jean-Sebastien Roy.

Roy is seen with Elizabeth Parsons, assistant manager from the Mississauga Passport Canada office.

Upon entering the Essar Centre, people wanting to apply for a passport will be directed to a clinic at ground floor level.

They should bring the following:

- All three pages of the application form completed and signed within the last 12 months.

- Two identical passport photos taken within the last 12 months.

- The application form and one of the photos must be certified by your guarantor.

- Proof of Canadian citizenship (no copies or certified copies).

- Documents to support identity.

- Any Canadian passport or travel document issued to you within the last five years.

- The fee (see below)

Roy said it will take about 20 minutes or less to submit an application and four weeks or less to receive a passport in the mail after a successful application.

He said applicants should not be concerned if they find a line in the hallway outside the area where the agents are located.

The lineup at the prescreening desk moves very quickly and it's at least that fast inside with 10 officers ready to check out and accept completed applications for a passport.

"The most common mistakes are signing over the signature box, not having supporting identification and ineligible writing," said Roy. "The agents can minimize delays due to incomplete applications."

With new regulations coming into effect on June 1 requiring anyone entering the United States by land or by water to have a passport, Passport Canada is urging Canadians not to wait to apply.

The cost for a 24-page passport for people 16 years of age and up is $87 for children four to 15 the cost is $37 and for children 3 and under it's $22.

Roy said it is important to bring original birth certificates issued by a province or original Canadian citizenship certificate as proof of citizenship and other supporting identification such as a driver's license with a completed application form, the fee and the two id entical photos to submit an application for a passport at the clinic.

Passport application forms can be obtained at the post office, at the Service Canada sesk in 22 Bay Street and online at www.passportcanada.gc.ca