An FTA charge is a criminal charge that is filed against a person who fails to appear in court for a scheduled court date. When a person fails to appear in court, a judge may issue a warrant for their arrest, known as an FTA warrant. The severity of the punishment for an FTA charge depends on the seriousness of the criminal charges that were the subject of the missed proceeding. In the United States, FTA charges are punishable by fines, incarceration, or both when committed by a criminal defendant. FTA charges do not have a statute of limitations and will remain on a persons record until they serve the warrant. States often will not extradite people out-of-state for FTAs unless the original charge was very serious, but FTAs will appear on any background check and will therefore result in arrests during routine traffic stops. To get rid of an FTA charge, a person typically must appear in court to recall the warrant.