Any person applying for approval of a process by which filling materials, bedding or upholstered furniture are sanitized or sterilized shall submit to the Commissioner a description of the process and any apparatus and method to be used in such process. Upon approval of such process by the Commissioner and payment of the current annual permit fee by the applicant, a numbered permit for use of such process shall be issued. Such permit shall expire one year from the date of issue. Nothing herein shall prevent any person from having any sanitizing or sterilization required by this article performed by any person who has a valid permit for such purposes, provided the number of such permit appears on the tag attached to each article as required by § 32.1-219.