(A) The department shall register each applicant without discrimination or examination who satisfactorily passes the experience requirement in § 40-25-90 or passes an examination in § 40-25-110 and upon the applicant’s payment of a fee set by the department through regulation shall issue to the applicant a license signed by the department. The license is effective for one year and expires one year after it is issued.

(B) When the commission determines that another state or jurisdiction has requirements equivalent to or higher than those in effect pursuant to this chapter and that the state or jurisdiction has a program equivalent to or stricter than the program for determining whether applicants pursuant to this chapter are qualified to dispense and fit hearing aids, the department may issue certificates of endorsement to applicants who hold current unsuspended and unrevoked certificates or licenses to fit and sell hearing aids in the other state or jurisdiction if the applicant is twenty-one years of age. Applicants for certificate of endorsement are not required to submit to or undergo a qualifying examination, other than the payment of fees pursuant to this chapter. The holder of a certificate of endorsement must be registered in the same manner as licensees. The fee for issuance of a license based upon an initial certificate of endorsement is the same as the fee for an initial license. Fees, grounds for renewal, and procedures for the suspension and revocation of certificates of endorsement and licenses are the same.