In April 1951 Richter was one of millions during the post war decade who fled across to West Germany, where she joined up with her sister. She lived first in Freiburg before moving, in 1952, to Switzerland, living successively in Bern and Zürich, working as a hairdresser and then in a hospital. Later she went to London where she worked as an "au pair". She nevertheless kept up her contacts in West Germany. She became pregnant by her boyfriend and in 1956 returned to East Germany where she married, becoming Ursula Saffran. The authorities determined that she no longer needed the name "Ursula Richter", which accordingly became available for reallocation by the security services.