Section 32

Upon receipt of the application and payment mentioned in subsection (1), the Registrar shall issue to the applicant an annual practising certificate authorizing the applicant to practise as an optician or optometrist during the year for which the certificate is issued.

Subject to subsection (4), a certificate issued under subsection (2) shall be in force until 31 December of the year for which the certificate is issued.

A registered person who fails to apply for an annual practising certificate in the manner and within the period laid down in

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subsection (1) may, upon making an application in such form and on payment of such additional fee as may be prescribed, be granted an annual practising certificate for the following year, if the application is made during the month of December of any year, or for the remainder of the year, if the application is made on or after 1 January of any year.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act, a registered person may practise as an optician or optometrist without an annual practising certificate up to 31 December of the year in which he is first registered as an optician or optometrist and, for the purpose of this Act and any regulations made under this Act, he shall be deemed to have an annual practising certificate for that period.

An annual practising certificate and an application for an annual practising certificate shall contain the address of the principal place of practice and all other places of practice of the applicant, and any change in any such address shall be notified by the registered person to the Registrar and an endorsement of such change on the annual practising certificate shall be obtained from the Registrar within thirty days of such change.

Any person who fails to notify the Registrar, as required under subsection (6), of any change of address commits an offence.

A certificate under the hand of the Registrar that any person—