diff --git a/app/Models/Contact.php b/app/Models/Contact.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d941e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Models/Contact.php
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Models;
+
+use App\Models\Sym\TravelCountry;
+use Carbon\Carbon;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\HasFactory;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
+
+/**
+ * Kontakt-Modell — saubere Neuimplementierung auf Basis der customer-Tabelle.
+ *
+ * Unterschiede zum alten Customer-Modell:
+ *   - Global Scope schließt zusammengeführte Duplikate (merged_into_id IS NOT NULL) aus
+ *   - merged_into_id + merged_at in $fillable
+ *   - mergedInto() / mergedContacts() Beziehungen
+ *
+ * Tabellen-Name: 'customer' (wird in Phase 2 in 'contacts' umbenannt).
+ *
+ * @property int $id
+ * @property int|null $salutation_id
+ * @property string|null $title
+ * @property string|null $name
+ * @property string|null $firstname
+ * @property Carbon|null $birthdate
+ * @property string|null $company
+ * @property string|null $street
+ * @property string|null $zip
+ * @property string|null $city
+ * @property string|null $email
+ * @property string|null $phone
+ * @property string|null $phonebusiness
+ * @property string|null $phonemobile
+ * @property string|null $fax
+ * @property int|null $merged_into_id
+ * @property Carbon|null $merged_at
+ * @property Carbon $created_at
+ * @property Carbon $updated_at
+ * @property-read Contact|null $mergedInto
+ * @property-read Collection|Contact[] $mergedContacts
+ * @property-read Collection|Lead[] $leads
+ * @property-read Collection|Booking[] $bookings
+ */
+class Contact extends Model
+{
+    use HasFactory, SoftDeletes;
+
+    protected $connection = 'mysql';
+
+    protected $table = 'customer';
+
+    protected $casts = [
+        'salutation_id'              => 'int',
+        'credit_card_type_id'        => 'int',
+        'country_id'                 => 'int',
+        'merged_into_id'             => 'int',
+        'birthdate'                  => 'datetime',
+        'credit_card_expiration_date' => 'datetime',
+        'merged_at'                  => 'datetime',
+    ];
+
+    protected $fillable = [
+        'salutation_id',
+        'title',
+        'name',
+        'firstname',
+        'birthdate',
+        'company',
+        'street',
+        'zip',
+        'city',
+        'email',
+        'phone',
+        'phonebusiness',
+        'phonemobile',
+        'fax',
+        'bank',
+        'bank_code',
+        'bank_account_number',
+        'credit_card_type_id',
+        'credit_card_number',
+        'credit_card_expiration_date',
+        'participants_remarks',
+        'miscellaneous_remarks',
+        'country_id',
+        'merged_into_id',
+        'merged_at',
+    ];
+
+    /**
+     * Globaler Scope: zusammengeführte Duplikate werden standardmäßig ausgeblendet.
+     * Für Zugriff auf alle inkl. Duplikate: Contact::withoutGlobalScope('not_merged')
+     */
+    protected static function booted(): void
+    {
+        static::addGlobalScope('not_merged', function (Builder $query) {
+            $query->whereNull('merged_into_id');
+        });
+    }
+
+    // ── Beziehungen ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    public function mergedInto(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo
+    {
+        return $this->belongsTo(Contact::class, 'merged_into_id')
+            ->withoutGlobalScope('not_merged');
+    }
+
+    public function mergedContacts(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany
+    {
+        return $this->hasMany(Contact::class, 'merged_into_id')
+            ->withoutGlobalScope('not_merged');
+    }
+
+    public function leads(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany
+    {
+        return $this->hasMany(Lead::class, 'customer_id')->orderByDesc('created_at');
+    }
+
+    public function bookings(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany
+    {
+        return $this->hasMany(Booking::class, 'customer_id')->orderByDesc('created_at');
+    }
+
+    public function salutation(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo
+    {
+        return $this->belongsTo(Salutation::class);
+    }
+
+    public function travel_country(): \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo
+    {
+        return $this->belongsTo(TravelCountry::class, 'country_id');
+    }
+
+    // ── Hilfsmethoden ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    public function fullName(): string
+    {
+        if ($this->firstname) {
+            return $this->firstname . ' ' . $this->name;
+        }
+        return (string) $this->name;
+    }
+
+    public function isMerged(): bool
+    {
+        return $this->merged_into_id !== null;
+    }
+
+    public static function getCountriesArray(): \Illuminate\Support\Collection
+    {
+        return TravelCountry::where('is_customer_country', 1)->get()->pluck('name', 'id');
+    }
+
+    public static $salutationType = [
+        1 => 'Herr',
+        2 => 'Frau',
+        3 => 'Divers/keine Anrede',
+        4 => 'Firma',
+    ];
+}